Coco Gauff’s pursuit of back-to-back grand slam titles came to an end on Thursday as she was defeated by Aryna Sabalenka in the semifinals of the Australian Open. Defending champion Sabalenka triumphed 7-6(7-2) 6-4 in Rod Laver Arena for her 13th consecutive win at Melbourne Park. In a tight rematch of last year’s US Open final, during which the 19-year-old Gauff won her first major title, the world No. Sabalenka will now face Zheng Qinwen in Saturday’s final after the Chinese 12th seed, who has never before featured in a grand slam final, defeated Ukraine’s Dayana Yastremska 6-4 6-4. Gauff was looking to win back-to-back grand slams at the Australian Open.

Source: CNN January 25, 2024 12:06 UTC