Sabalenka battles unbelievable wind to keep hopes alive

Aryna Sabalenka battled through "unbelievable" windy conditions Tuesday to reach the Melbourne semifinals and keep her dream of an Australian Open hat-trick alive.

- Agencies

MELBOURNE:

The world number one faces Spain's Paula Badosa for a place in the final after grinding past Russia's Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova 6-2, 2-6, 6-3 on Rod Laver Arena.

"The conditions were unbelievable. The wind was so strong. It was very difficult for both of us," said Sabalenka, who can become the first woman since Martina Hingis in 1999 to win the Australian Open three years in a row.

If she does, she will join a select group of five women who have completed the Melbourne three-peat. The others are Margaret Court, Evonne Goolagong, Steffi Graf and Monica Seles.