By the numbers: Sabalenka thwarts Jovic to reach fourth straight Melbourne semifinal

Aryna Sabalenka took everything Iva Jovic could throw at her in a tense opening set, but the two-time Australian Open champion did what champions do: she found a way through, pulling away for a straight-sets victory Tuesday afternoon.

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With temperatures nearing 100 degrees Fahrenheit in Melbourne, the World No. 1 ended the 18-year-old American’s dream run, earning a 6-3, 6-0 win in just under 90 minutes on Rod Laver Arena to reach her fourth consecutive Australian Open semifinal and the 14th Grand Slam semifinal of her career.

She’ll face either No. 3 seed Coco Gauff or No. 12 seed Elina Svitolina next.

First, she had to get by Jovic, who entered with supreme confidence after earning her first Top 10 win at the WTA Tour Driven by Mercedes-Benz level over Jasmine Paolini in the third round, followed by a dominant victory over Yulia Putintseva in the Round of 16.

"She's a young, great player," Sabalenka said to start her post-match press conference. "Super happy to get this win in straight sets, happy with the level I played today and yeah, (she's an) amazing player."

The three-time reigning finalist started fast, breaking Jovic early en route to a 3-0 lead before the American finally got on the board with an eight-minute hold for 3-1. Another extended game, this one nearly nine minutes and featuring four deuces, kept Jovic within reach at 4-2.

Sabalenka, meanwhile, raced through her service games and secured another routine hold for 5-2.

After Jovic finally produced a more straightforward hold, the ninth and final game of the set gave fans something to cheer about despite the oppressive heat. The game featured:

• 11 minutes of play
• Five deuce points
• Three set points
• Three break points

And it resulted in a Sabalenka hold to capture the opening set in exactly one hour, punctuated by a backhand winner -- her 21st winner of the set.

From there, the World No. 1 ran away with it, delivering a second-set bagel to eliminate one of the four American women left in the draw. In her first Grand Slam quarterfinal, Jovic mustered enough energy to earn a pair of break points in the final game, but Sabalenka saved the second with an ace before closing out the match with her seventh and final ace.

"The second set, I felt like I had to step in and put even more pressure on her," Sabalenka said. "Because I can see that she's young, she's hungry, and I could tell during the match that no matter the score, she's still going to be there trying."

Here are more numbers from Sabalenka’s quarterfinal victory:

0: Sets lost this tournament. Sabalenka is the third top seed in the past decade to reach the Australian Open women’s singles semifinals without dropping a set, joining Serena Williams (2016) and Ashleigh Barty (2022).

8: Consecutive Grand Slam semifinals reached on hard courts. Since 1988, only Sabalenka, Lindsay Davenport and Martina Hingis have reached eight or more in a row.

31: Winners against Jovic. Twenty-one came in the first set, capped by the backhand winner that ended the 11-minute game. She struck No. 31 on match point, while finishing with just 17 unforced errors. Her 143 total winners are the most of any woman at this year’s Australian Open.

83: Percentage of first-serve points won (30 of 36). Despite a brief struggle with her second serve late in the opening set, the performance was more than enough to ensure she was never broken.

88: Percentage of net points won. Sabalenka’s improved variety was on display as she won five of six points at the net and mixed in a handful of slices and the occasional drop shot to disrupt Jovic’s rhythm. 

Bonus…5: Sabalenka has at least five career wins against both potential semifinal opponents. She is 6-6 against Gauff in one of tour’s tightest rivalries and is 5-1 against Svitolina, winning their past four meetings.