Aryna Sabalenka eases past Marta Kostyuk into Madrid Open semis

MADRID - Last year’s runner-up Aryna Sabalenka survived a gritty Marta Kostyuk and an untimely rain interruption to complete a 7-6(7/4),7-6(9/7) win over the Ukrainian and reach the Madrid Open semi-finals for a fourth time on April 30.

The top-seeded Sabalenka needed 84 minutes to take the opening set before securing the win in cold, breezy conditions.

Kostyuk saved a match point and broke to take the second set into a tiebreak. At 5-4 in the breaker, it started to rain and play was halted briefly to close the roof of the Manolo Santana stadium.

Upon resumption of play, Sabalenka saved three set points and eked out the win, her third over her rival in as many meetings.

“Honestly, that was a battle and conditions were incredibly tough. It wasn’t about tennis, it was about the way you handled your emotions,” said the Belarusian world number one, who hit 48 unforced errors.

“I think I did really well and I’m super proud I was able to handle myself in such a difficult situation.”

Sabalenka next takes on another Ukrainian in the form of Elina Svitolina, who extended her winning streak to 11 consecutive matches with a swift 6-2, 6-1 rout of Japan’s Moyuka Uchijima in just 52 minutes.

A champion in Rouen last week, Svitolina is undefeated on clay this season and is the first Ukrainian woman to reach the semi-finals in Madrid.

The 30-year-old has won her last 22 consecutive sets on the red dirt.

Svitolina has a three-year-old daughter, is running a foundation that has taken over the responsibilities of the Ukrainian national tennis team both financially and from a managerial side, and is on an incredible run that will see her re-enter the top 15 in the rankings.

“I have a lot on my plate, but