World No. 4 Aryna Sabalenka is having her best week of the year in Stuttgart as she has been through to her first semifinal of the year beating sixth-ranked Anett Kontaveit.
On Friday, No. 3 seed Sabalenka overcame fifth-seeded Kontaveit 6-4 3-6 6-1 to progress into the Stuttgart semifinal.
“The third set was a perfect set for me,” Sabalenka told WTA Insider. “She played really well; it was a really tough match, and I’m super happy with the result.”
Kontaveit is now one of the best players on the tour but she remains winless against Sabalenka.
Following the latest victory, Sabalenka now owns a dominant 5-0 head-to-head against Kontaveit.
“Every match I play against Anett is always a tough battle; I wouldn’t say that I like to play against her! Today, I enjoyed every second on court, I enjoyed my game, and I think that’s how I found my way through,” Sabalenka said of her dominance against Kontaveit.
Sabalenka overcame Kontaveit in three sets
Sabalenka claimed the first break of the match in the first game but got broken back in the following game.
Blowing an early break didn’t impact Sabalenka as she broke Kontaveit again in the third game and then held on to her serve the rest of the set to win the opener.
After losing the first set, Kontaveit earned the first break of the second set in the sixth game to take a 4-2 lead.
Kontaveit got broken back in the seventh game but kept her focus as she broke Sabalenka again in the eighth game and served out for the second set in the following game.
The two players were tied at one game apiece in the third set, before Sabalenka claimed back-to-back breaks to win five games in a row and finish the match in style.
Sabalenka won’t have an easy job in the Stuttgart semifinal as he plays next No. 2 seed Paula Badosa.