Aryna Sabalenka and Alexander Zverev battled extreme conditions to secure their places in the Australian Open semi-finals.
World number one Sabalenka tamed 18-year-old American Iva Jovic 6-3, 6-0 in searing 38°C heat on Rod Laver Arena. She praised her opponent’s fearless play, saying the teenager “pushed me to a one step better level.” Sabalenka, chasing her third Australian Open crown in four years, has yet to drop a set in the tournament and now awaits either Coco Gauff or Elina Svitolina in the last four.
Meanwhile, Zverev unleashed a barrage of 24 aces to overpower 20-year-old Learner Tien in four sets. The German third seed, last year’s runner-up, relied heavily on his booming serve to keep the American at bay. “Without my aces, I probably would not have won today,” Zverev admitted after the match. His semi-final opponent will be decided between world number one Carlos Alcaraz and home favourite Alex de Minaur.
Tournament organisers closed the roof after Sabalenka’s match as temperatures outside soared to 43°C, triggering the maximum “heat stress” rating for the second time in four days. Junior matches on outdoor courts were paused, underscoring the intensity of conditions players faced.
For Jovic, the youngest player in the women’s top 100, the defeat capped a breakthrough tournament where she stunned seventh seed Jasmine Paolini and swept past Yulia Putintseva. Tien, ranked 29th, also impressed by reaching his first Grand Slam quarter-final.
With Sabalenka and Zverev advancing, the Australian Open semi-finals promise high drama as established stars clash with rising talents under Melbourne’s unforgiving sun.
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