Aryna Sabalenka came back from a set a break down to beat Paula Badosa 4-6 6-4 6-4 in 2 hours and 30 minutes reaching her third straight semifinal the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in Stuttgart.
Badosa converted her second break point in the third game to take a 2-1 lead. Both players went on serve until the 10th game, when the 2021 Indian Wells champion saved three break points to serve out the first set 6-4.
Badosa went up an immediate break in the first game of the second set and produced the best shot of the match with a one-handed backhand lob in the fifth game. The Spaniard saved a break point in the sixth game to build up a 6-4 4-2 lead before Sabalenka reeled off seven consecutive games to win the second set 6-4 and built up a 3-0 lead in the third set.
“I was just talking to myself in the eighth game of the second set and saying: ‘Ok, just try to put the ball back, and then run and move and try to win the game and probably you can win the set. Then what’s going to happen in the third set ? That was the key game”, said Sabalenka.
Five breaks of serve across six deuce games. Badosa broke back in the fifth game and held serve to draw level to 3-3. Badosa made nine double faults, including five in her last two service games. Sabalenka broke serve for the second time in the eighth game to take a 5-3 lead. Badosa pulled back on serve in the ninth game for 4-5, but Sabalenka sealed the win with her third break on the second match point with a backhand winner into the open court.
Sabalenka beat a clay specialist for the second straight match after beating 2021 Roland Garros champion Barbora Krejcikova on Wednesday.
Sabalenka has drawn level to 2-2 in her head-to-head matches against Badosa. The Australian Open has advanced to her fourth semifinal in six tournaments so far this year. She has a overall record in 2023 of 22 wins to just 3 defeats.
Sabalenka is chasing her first title in Stuttgart after finishing runner-up to Ashleigh Barty in 2021 and to Iga Swiatek in 2022.
Sabalenka set up a semifinal match against Anastasia Potapova, who beat last year’s WTA Finals champion Caroline Garcia 4-6 6-3 6-3 after 2 hours and 12 minutes.
Potapova saved two break points to hold serve to hold serve in the third game of the first set. Garcia broke serve at deuce in the seventh game to take a 4-3 lead. The French player held on her next service games to win the first set 6-4.
Potapova saved a total of five break points in the first and fifth games before breaking serve in the eighth game to win the second set 6-3. Garcia saved two break points to hold serve in a seven-deuce third game of the decisive set. Potapova broke serve twice in the fifth and ninth games to close out the third set 6-3.
Potapova beat two top 10 opponents in the same tournament and reached the semifinals at a WTA 500 tournament for the first time in her career. She beat the third top 5 opponent in her career following her wins against Angelique Kerber at Roland Garros 2019 and Annett Kontaveit in Prague 2022.
Swiatek rallies from one set down to beat Pliskova
Defending champion Iga Swiatek came back from a set down to beat Karolina Pliskova 4-6 6-1 6-2.
Swiatek won her only previous head-to-head match against Pliskova with a double bagel in the final of the 2021 Internazionali d’Italia in Rome in 2021.
Pliskova raced out to a 4-0 lead with a double break after 17 minutes. Swiatek pulled one break back in the sixth game to win three consecutive game for 3-4. Pliskova held her final two service games to win the first set.
Swiatek bounced back by winning the first four games of the second set with two breaks of serve. Pliskova pulled one break back in the fifth game for 1-4. Swiatek broke again in the sixth game to win the second set 6-1 forcing the match to the third set.
Swiatek broke serve in the third game of the decider to take a 2-1 lead. The Polish player came through the fourth game, saving two break points to hold serve for 3-1. Swiatek converted her third break point in the seventh game to open up a 5-2 lead and closed out the win on her first match point after 2 hours and 1 minute.
Swiatek set up a semifinal clash against Ons Jabeur, who cruised past Beatriz Haddad Maia 6-3 6-0. Jabeur broke serve once in the first set and three times to close out the win on her first match point. Swiatek leads 3-2 in her previous five head-to-head matches against Jabeur. The Pole beat her Tunisian rival in their previous two head-to-head matches last year in two finals at the Internazionali BNL d’Italia in Rome and at the US Open.
