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New Delhi: Fifth seed Elena Rybakina dominated six-time Grand Slam champion Iga Swiatek a 7-5 6-1 on way to the Australian Open semi-finals in Melbourne on Wednesday.

Rybakina is bidding to win in Melbourne Park for the first time and will face either Jessica Pegula or Amanda Anisimova in the last four clash.

Pole Swiatke was faster off the blocks and she broke her Kazakh opponent’s weak second serve in the opening game, but the second seed couldn’t consolidate as he immediately surrendered her own serve.

Both players then won their service games till the 28-year-old Rybakina broke through in the finak game to win the first set as Swiatek fired into the net.

Swiatek’s frustrations with her service only mounted, allowing Rybakina to make the most of it to take the second game of the second set as she sent a forehand into the corner.

Rybakina is making a statement here in the quarterfinal 👌
@wwos • @espn • @tntsports • @wowowtennis • #AO26 pic.twitter.com/Gq3nekpeDb

— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen)

A helpless Swiatek then could only question a marginal line call as Rybakina broke her serve again to march into the semis, where she will play for the first time since reaching the 2023 final.

It was Rybakina’s 18th victory in her last 19 matches, dating back to last October, and her eighth successive win against a top 10 player.

Rybakina won eight of the last none games to wrap up the match in an hour and 35 minutes and level her face-to-face record against Swiatek to 6-6.