(Melbourne) On the pitch at Rod Laver Arena on Tuesday night, Victoria Azarenka — the athlete — showed the same confidence, aggression and anticipation that saw her win the Australian Open twice and rise to first place in the world.

Azarenka, who beat third-seeded American Jessica Pegula 6-4 6-1 in the quarter-finals, will play defending Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina in the next round.

Belarus player, 24^e seed, will be back in the semi-finals at Melbourne Park for the first time since their 2012 and 2013 triumphs.

After her match, Azarenka — the woman — discussed how, out of sight for a few months, she managed to develop a new mindset. She said, in her own words, that “I try to be neutral, not to fall into negativity; I have to accept my anxiety, accept the fears that inhabit me. »

And then, she explained, it allowed her to learn to accept failure, in order to exploit her full potential. Something she obviously did against Pegula, who had not conceded a single set in this tournament and had dropped only 18 games in four games before Tuesday.

The two — her professional and personal lives — “are obviously connected,” Azarenka said.

For her part, Rybakina advanced to the Australian Open semi-finals on Tuesday, beating former French Open winner Jelena Ostapenko 6-2, 6-4.

The match was marred by a delay of around 20 minutes due to rain, with the roof subsequently closed.

Rybakina was leading 3-1 and had a break point at the time of the interruption.

When play resumed, Ostapenko saved the day, but his opponent managed to make it 4-1 at the next opportunity. Rybakina eventually won the first set 6-2.

In the second set, Ostapenko led by a break, but Rybakina broke the Latvian’s serve in turn to bring everything back to par.

Rybakina managed to break on her first chance, while Ostapenko was unable to do so on four balls presented to her in the previous game.

Rybakina, who beat world No. 1 racket Iga Swiatek in the fourth round, won the match with an ace, his 11^e of the match and its 35^e of the tournament, a peak.

“I was nervous in the last game, but I was able to control my emotions and play well,” said Rybakina. Conditions were different after the roof was closed. These are things that can happen here, you never know, with one weather condition in the morning and another later in the day. »

The elimination of Pegula means that Aryna Sabalenka (no 5) is the only player in the world top-20 still in contention. On Wednesday, Sabalenka will cross swords with Donna Vekic in the quarter-finals, while the 30^e seeded Karolina Pliskova will have an appointment with Magda Linette.

In doubles, Canadian Gabriela Dabrowski and Mexican Giuliana Olmos lost in the third round, 7-5, 6-2 to American-Russian pair Caroline Dolehide and Anna Kalinskaya.

Third seeders Dabrowski and Olmos let slip a 4-0 cushion in the first set.

Tsitsipas joins Khachanov in the semi-finals

In the men’s draw, Karen Khachanov reached the semi-finals in Melbourne for the first time after Sebastian Korda retired with a right wrist injury. Khachanov led 7-6 (5), 6-3 and 3-0.

Korda had defeated 2021 Flushing Meadows champion Daniil Medvedev in the third round.

His father, Petr, won the Australian Grand Slam in 1998.

His wrist injury arose in Adelaide, the launch pad to Melbourne, but it didn’t cause him too much trouble ahead of Tuesday’s game.

“I felt the place causing the problem again,” said Korda, 29.^e first in the series.

“There were forehands where I couldn’t hold the racquet, and it was almost impossible to volley. So it was a bit difficult. »

He still looked very good in the tournament.

“There are a lot more positives than negatives,” Korda said. I’ll hope the injury isn’t too serious. I will go forward with my head held high and I will continue to work. »

For his part, Khachavov is the 18^e Headlining. He will find third-seeded Stefanos Tsitsipas on his way, who defeated Czech Jiri Lehecka 6-3, 7-6 (2) and 3-0 at the end of the program on Tuesday. Lehecka had disposed of Quebecer Félix Auger-Aliassime in the previous round.

Tsitsipas, who was a finalist at the French Open in 2021, reached the semis in Melbourne for the fourth time in his career after being faced with eight break points, without ever flinching.