Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus blows kisses to the crowd after beating her compatriot Victoria Azarenka during quarterfinal play at the women's National Bank Open tennis tournament in Montreal, Friday, Aug. 13, 2021. (Paul Chiasson/The Canadian Press via AP)
The Associated Press
MONTREAL (AP) - Top-seeded Aryna Sabalenka beat Victoria Azarenka, 6-2, 6-4 on Friday in a quarterfinal between players from Belarus at the National Bank Open.
Sabalenka, ranked No. 3, trailed 4-2 in the second set before winning four games in a row. She had seven aces in the 79-minute match.
'œI'm really happy with this, it was a tough match,'ť Sabalenka said. 'ť(Azarenka) played really well. The second set was a little tricky. I'm really happy that I came back in the end of the set and won it actually.'ť
Azarenka was seeded eighth.
'œI feel I just didn't take my opportunities,'ť Azarenka said. 'ťIt's as simple as that.'ť
Sabalenka will face fourth-seeded Karolina Pliskova of the Czech Republic in the semifinals. Pliskova beat Spain's Sara Sorribes Tormo 6-4, 6-0.
Italy's Camila Giorgi beat 17-year-old American Coco Gauff 6-4, 7-6 (2) in the night session. Giorgi will face the winner of the late match between Tunisia's Ons Jabeur and American Jessica Pegula.
___
More AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports
Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus returns to her compatriot Victoria Azarenka during quarterfinal play at the women's National Bank Open tennis tournament in Montreal, Friday, Aug. 13, 2021. (Paul Chiasson/The Canadian Press via AP)
The Associated Press
Victoria Azarenka of Belarus returns to her compatriot Aryna Sabalenka during quarterfinal play at the women's National Bank Open tennis tournament in Montreal, Friday, Aug. 13, 2021. (Paul Chiasson/The Canadian Press via AP)
The Associated Press
Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus serves to her compatriot Victoria Azarenka during quarterfinal play at the women's National Bank Open tennis tournament in Montreal, Friday, Aug. 13, 2021. (Paul Chiasson/The Canadian Press via AP)
The Associated Press
Karolina Pliskova, of the Czech Republic, serves to Sara Sorribes Tormo, of Spain, during quarterfinal play at the women's National Bank Open tennis tournament in Montreal, Friday, Aug. 13, 2021. (Paul Chiasson/The Canadian Press via AP)
The Associated Press
Sara Sorribes Tormo, of Spain, returns to Karolina Pliskova, of the Czech Republic, during quarterfinal play at the women's National Bank Open tennis tournament in Montreal, Friday, Aug. 13, 2021. (Paul Chiasson/The Canadian Press via AP)
The Associated Press
Camila Giorgi, of Italy, returns to Coco Gauff, of the United States, during the National Bank Open women's tennis tournament Friday, Aug. 13, 2021, in Montreal. (Paul Chiasson/The Canadian Press via AP)
The Associated Press
Coco Gauff, of the United States, watches a return to Camila Giorgi, of Italy, during the National Bank Open women's tennis tournament Friday, Aug. 13, 2021, in Montreal. (Paul Chiasson/The Canadian Press via AP)
The Associated Press
Camila Giorgi, of Italy, serves to Coco Gauff, of the United States, during the National Bank Open women's tennis tournament Friday, Aug. 13, 2021, in Montreal. (Paul Chiasson/The Canadian Press via AP)
The Associated Press