Former Grand Slam champions Victoria Azarenka reached the semi-finals of the season-opening Brisbane International on Friday after outlasting a fiery Jelena Ostapenko 6-3, 3-6, 7-5.
The Brisbane tournament is a warm-up for the Australian Open, which the 34-year-old Azarenka won in 2012 and 2013.
Azarenka was in control early as she took the first set with one break of serve, but as the match progressed Ostapenko began to find her range and deservedly levelled.
Ostapenko, the 2017 French Open champion, was comfortable on serve in the third set while Azarenka struggled to hold hers.
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But at 5-6 and serving to send the set into a tiebreak, the Latvian cracked and a poor service game handed the Belarusian victory.
Ostapenko’s frustration showed late in the match after her drop shot hit the netcord in the ninth game of the third set, dropping in front of Azarenka.
Ostapenko believed the ball had bounced twice before Azarenka returned it over the net.
“You are blind, it is impossible to play when you make so much mistakes,” Ostapenko said to chair umpire Julie Kjendlie.
“I never want you at my match again,” she later added.
“You will never be at my match.“I don’t want you at my matches, you ruin my matches.”
Azarenka will play top seed Aryna Sabalenka or Daria Kasatkina in the last four.
Elsewhere, Kazakhstan’s Elena Rybakina was handed a spot in the last four when her Russian opponent Anastasia Potapova withdrew with a stomach problem after losing the first set 6-1.
In another quarter-final, Rybakina raced to a 4-1 lead when Potapova asked for the trainer to treat what appeared to be a stomach injury.
She played the next two games but withdrew when the 2022 Wimbledon champion Rybakina took the first set.
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Rybakina faces Mirra Andreeva or Linda Noskova next.
In the men’s draw, Russian Roman Safiullin beat Italy’s Matteo Arnaldi 7-6 (7/4), 6-2 to set up a semi-final against either top-seeded Dane Holger Rune or Australian qualifier James Duckworth.
Spanish great Rafael Nadal plays his quarter-final against Jordan Thompson later Friday.