World No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka has been through to the Rome Open semifinal after beating 2017 French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko.
On Wednesday afternoon – in what was a very attractive matchup on paper – No. 2 seed Sabalenka needed an hour 12 minutes to oust ninth-seeded Ostapenko 6-2 6-4.
By beating Ostapenko, 26-year-old Sabalenka ensured reaching her second Rome semifinal in her sixth appearance at the tournament. Also, Sabalenka kept her perfect record against Ostapenko as she now has three wins and zero losses against the Latvian.
Later today, Sabalenka – who was a finalist at the Madrid Open two weeks ago – will learn her Rome semifinal opponent when Danielle Collins and Victoria Azarenka finish their quarterfinal match.
How Sabalenka beat Ostapenko?
Right from the start, Sabalenka was looking determined to open an early lead but Ostapenko managed to save two break points in the opening game. However, Sabalenka kept with the same approach and soon she rewarded with back-to-back breaks and five consecutive games won for a 5-1 lead.
In the seventh game, Ostapenko managed to finally win a game but it didn’t change much when it comes to the outcome of the first set as Sabalenka routinely served…
