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Defending champion Iga Swiatek reached the semifinals of the Adelaide International by defeating two-time Australian Open winner Victoria Azarenka 6-3, 2-6, 6-1 on Friday.
With the victory, the 20-year-old has extended her winning streak at Adelaide to eight matches. It will be put to the test in the semifinals, where she faces World No. 1 Ashleigh Barty.
Iga Swiatek vs Victoria Azarenka Score
Iga Swiatek beat Victoria Azarenka 6-3, 2-6, 6-1
Iga Swiatek vs Victoria Azarenka Winner
Iga Swiatek defeated Victoria Azarenka in three sets to reach the semifinals of the Adelaide International. She will next take on World No. 1 Barty, who defeated Sofia Kenin 6-3, 6-4 earlier in the day.
Iga Swiatek vs Victoria Azarenka Match Recap
Swiatek secured the first break of the match in the fourth game of the first set to go 3-1 up. However, Azarenka bounced back to win the next two games and level it at 3-3. The Pole then pocketed the decisive break before holding her serve to take the first set 6-3.
Azarenka then broke Swiatek in the fourth game of the second set to go 3-1 up. The Belarusian put up a strong serving display in the second set, serving two aces and winning 13 out of 15 points on her first serve, to ensure she didn't concede a break.
The former World No. 1 broke Swiatek again to bag the second set 6-2 and set up a decider.
The former French Open champion gained the upper hand early in the third set, breaking twice to lead 3-0. The Belarusian tried to make a comeback in the next game but Swiatek held her nerve to go 4-0 up.
Azarenka managed to avoid a bagel by taking the next game but found herself trailing 1-5 after Swiatek held her serve in the sixth game of the set. The 20-year-old broke for the fifth time in the match to take the third set and confirm her place in the semifinals.
This was Swiatek's first victory over Azarenka and her third against a player who has held the World No. 1 ranking.
As a result of the win, the World No. 9 will be among the top eight seeds at the Australian Open.
