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Match Details
Fixture: (1) Aryna Sabalenka vs (8) Victoria Azarenka
Date: January 6, 2024
Tournament: Brisbane International 2024
Round: Semifinal
Venue: Queensland Tennis Centre, Brisbane, Australia
Category: WTA 500
Surface: Outdoor hard
Prize money: $1,736,763
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | Canada - TSN | UK - Sky Sports
Aryna Sabalenka vs Victoria Azarenka preview
Aryna Sabalenka and Victoria Azarenka have set up an all-Belarusian semifinal showdown at the 2024 Brisbane International on Saturday.
Sabalenka kicked off the tournament with commanding wins over Lucia Bronzetti and Zhu Lin. She dropped total of four games across these two matches. She then faced Daria Kasatkina for a spot in the semifinals.
Sabalenka's dominance continued as she claimed the opening set for the loss of just one game. Kasatkina raised her level considerably in the second set, but it wasn't enough to stop her opponent. A lone break of serve in the Belarusian's favor helped her secure a 6-1, 6-4 win.
Azarenka, meanwhile, began her Brisbane campaign with wins over Anna Kalinskaya and Clara Burel. She took on fellow Grand Slam champion Jelena Ostapenko in the quarterfinals.
Azarenka made a statement by securing a 3-0 headstart in the first set, but Ostapenko cut down her lead by nabbing the next two games. The Belarusian claimed gained the upper hand once again as she bagged two games in a row after that to go 5-2 up.
Azarenka maintained her advantage this time and pretty soon clinched the first set for herself. However, Ostapenko was not the one to go down without a fight, and leveled the proceedings by capturing the second set.
Ostapenko struck first in the third set to go up a break, but Azarenka broke back immediately to remain on level terms. The two were evenly matched after that, but the Latvian stumbled towards the end. The Belarusian snagged a final break of serve in the 12th game to score a 6-3, 3-6, 7-5 win.
Aryna Sabalenka vs Victoria Azarenka head-to-head
Sabalenka leads Azarenka 3-1 in their head-to-head. She won their previous encounter at the 2021 Canadian Open in straight sets.
Aryna Sabalenka vs Victoria Azarenka odds
(Odds are sourced from BetMGM)
Aryna Sabalenka vs Victoria Azarenka prediction
Sabalenka's love affair with Australia continued as she scored yet another convincing win this week. She extended her unbeaten run to 14 matches in the country, which began last year. Kasatkina was the Belarusian's toughest test so far, but she remained calm under pressure to emerge victorious.
Azarenka, too, has been in vintage form this week. Her match against Ostapenko was a high quality duel which and featured some fine ball-striking from both. However, the 34-year-old's consistency eventually proved to be too much for the Latvian.
Sabalenka's uber-aggressive brand of tennis won't overwhelm Azarenka that easily. The latter is a capable returner and won't let her younger compatriot dictate the point right off the bat with her strong serve.
With both of them playing so well this week, it's almost a battle between equals. However, Sabalenka is the World No. 2 for a reason, and as such will be backed to advance to the final.
Pick: Aryna Sabalenka to win in straight sets.
