Aryna Sabalenka defeats Victoria Mboko to reach Indian Wells semi-finals
World number one Aryna Sabalenka has advanced to the semi-finals at Indian Wells after overcoming a stern challenge from Canadian teenager Victoria Mboko to win 7-6 (7-0) 6-4.
The Belarusian star was forced to dig deep during a highly competitive first set against the 19-year-old sensation.
Her young opponent produced powerful baseline shots to push the top seed into a tie-break before the momentum definitively shifted.
Sabalenka finds extra gear in tie-break
Elevating her performance under pressure, the two-time Australian Open champion secured the crucial tie-break without dropping a single point.
It marked the first time in her illustrious professional career that she has won a tie-break to love.
An early break in the second set put the top-ranked player in complete control of the hard-court quarter-final.
Despite a determined fightback across the net, she served out the match without facing a single break of serve.
‘Future Grand Slam champion’
A victory for the rising Canadian star would have secured a historic milestone as her fifth top-10 win of the calendar year.
Following the hard-fought victory, the tournament favourite offered glowing praise for the teenager’s fearless approach.
“She is definitely a future Grand Slam champion.”
“It’s incredible to see how brave these young girls are these days. They go out there and go after their shots. They’re aggressive and they fight. It’s incredible to see.”
“I’m happy with the win, even though a couple of things weren’t really working well today. I still managed to win though. I don’t think she broke me.”
Zverev cruises past Fils
In the men’s draw, Alexander Zverev safely secured his spot in the semi-finals with a comfortable straight-sets victory over Arthur Fils.
The German world-class competitor dictated play from the baseline to dispatch the Frenchman 6-2 6-3.
