Pegula, Rybakina to clash in Melbourne semis as Djokovic takes centre stage
Jessica Pegula and Elena Rybakina will clash in the semi-finals at the Australian Open, where Novak Djokovic hopes to join them later Wednesday in his latest history bid.
Moscow-born Kazakh Rybakina, the 2022 Wimbledon champion, stunned second seed Iga Swiatek 7-5, 6-1 in Melbourne to book her spot in the last four.
Pegula swept aside an error-strewn Amanda Anisimova 6-2, 7-6 (7/1) in an all-American quarter-final.
Rybakina has made the Melbourne final once before, in 2023 when she lost in three tough sets to Aryna Sabalenka.
The 26-year-old fifth seed took her latest victory in her stride, saying a calmer mindset helped in the heat of battle.
"In the beginning, when it's the first final and you go so far in a tournament, of course you are more emotional," said Rybakina.
"Now I feel like I'm just doing my job, trying to improve each day. So it's kind of another day, another match."
Defeat denied Swiatek in her latest bid for a career Grand Slam of all four majors, having already won Wimbledon, the French Open and the US Open.
Sixth seed Pegula and Rybakina have shared three wins each in their six matches so far.
Pegula is yet to drop a set this year in Melbourne and is arrowing in on her first major crown at the age of 31.
"It's awesome," Pegula said of reaching her first Australian semi-final, having beaten defending champion Madison Keys in the previous round.
She was helped by an error-riddled display from fourth seed Anisimova, who racked up 44 unforced errors to Pegula's 21.
Her frustrations boiled over at the end as her hopes of reaching a third major title in a row melted away in a blur of mistakes.
Two-time champion Sabalenka faces Ukrainian 12th seed Elina Svitolina in the other semi-final.
- Djokovic, Sinner in action -
Also on day 11 at Melbourne Park, where temperatures were far more comfortable than the 43C on Tuesday, Djokovic faces Lorenzo Musetti of Italy.
The winner will meet two-time reigning champion Jannik Sinner or all-action Ben Shelton of the United States in the last four.
Djokovic has won a record-equalling 24 Grand Slam titles -- 10 of them in Melbourne.
But a 25th has remained agonisingly out of reach since triumphing at the US Open in 2023.
Djokovic got a free ride into the Musetti showdown when rising Czech star Jakub Mensik pulled out injured, giving the 38-year-old Serb an extra day's rest.
"Pretty sure he won't be tired," said the fifth-seeded Italian Musetti.
"But hopefully the rhythm that I have right now... will bring me luck for the next one. I feel ready to try to push him to his maximum."
The odds are stacked against Musetti, who is into the last eight at Melbourne for the first time, with clay and grass his usual forte.
He has played Djokovic 10 times before -- and only beaten him once, back in 2023.
Sinner is bidding to win the Melbourne crown for a third time in a row, something only Djokovic has done in the Open era (since 1968).
He has a tough opponent in Shelton, who reached the semi-finals last year, where he lost in straight sets to Sinner.
The pair have met nine times, with the world number two winning eight of them.
But Shelton is a fan favourite and is hoping to harness the energy of a "rowdy" crowd to pull off a shock.
"I'm definitely a competitor, I'm rowdy on court, I look forward to rowdy crowds," he said.
P.Martin--JdCdC
