Australian Open 2025 results: Aryna Sabalenka survives scare to beat Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova and reach semi-finals
From the third set onwards, it seemed impossible for Sabalenka to reach the Grand Slam semifinals for the 10th time in her career.
Sabalenka’s serve faltered, and Pavlyuchenkova broke serve five times to win the second set and broke in the third set.
But despite the momentum the Russian 27th seed was unable to capitalize on her early lead, Sabalenka immediately equalized.
The three-time Grand Slam winner first held his serve to lead 3-2 and held a crucial break to lead 5-3 before claiming his 19th consecutive victory at Melbourne Park.
Sabalenka, who has reached the semifinals in eight of the past nine Grand Slams, joked after the match that if she won the title in Melbourne, she would have her team get tiger tattoos.
The 26-year-old said the tiger tattoo on her forearm “is a reminder to never give up, stay motivated, stay hungry and push yourself no matter what happens in life.”
She added: “If I win the Australian Open, hopefully I’ll keep my fingers crossed and we’ll celebrate.
“Then I’ll call the tattoo specialist so they wake up with a tiger tattoo.”
