Aryna Sabalenka beat Daria Kasatkina 6-1 6-4 in 1 hour and 26 minutes to reach the semifinals at the Brisbane International. Sabalenka converted four the seven break points she faced.
Sabalenka won her 14th consecutive match Down Under.
Sabalenka hit 29 winners to 19 unforced errors. She has extended her lead to 6-2 in her eight head-to-head matches against Kasatkina, including 4-2 on outdoor hard-court.
Kasatkina made four double faults across her first two service games and did not hold serve in the opening set.
Sabalenka earned an early break to take a 2-0 lead in the first set, but Kasatkina broke back in the third game with a wayward return. Sabalenka broke twice more and held serve to win the first set 6-1.
The former world number 1 came through three deuces to hold for 2-2 before breaking once more at 3-2 in the second set. Sabalenka fended off three break points to hold serve in the sixth game and sealed the win on her second match point after 1 hour and 28 minutes after a long return from Kasatkina.
Sabalenka held serve after three deuces to draw level to 2-2 and fended off three break points to hold serve for 3-3.
Sabalenka dropped just nine games across three matches this week. The reigning Australian Open champion set up a semifinal clash against her compatriot Victoria Azarenka. Sabalenka leads 3-1 in her previous four head-to-head matches against Azarenka.
“You get to know each other better every time you play. Every time you play against Daria it’s always a tough match as she is a great player and a great fighter”, said Sabalenka.
