Aryna Sabalenka powered past 18-year-old Iva Jovic 6-3, 6-0 on Tuesday to reach the Australian Open semifinals, as extreme heat on Day 10 forced most matches to be played under cover.
Alexander Zverev benefited from the closed roof at Rod Laver Arena, advancing to the final four with a 6-3, 6-7 (5), 6-1, 7-6 (3) victory over 20-year-old Learner Tien. The world No. 3 and last year’s runner-up in Melbourne reached his 10th Grand Slam semifinal behind 24 aces and just one double fault, a rare blemish that came while holding six match points in the deciding tiebreaker.
Sabalenka, the top seed and last year’s finalist, is chasing a third Australian Open title in four years. She won back-to-back championships in 2023 and 2024 before losing last year’s final to Madison Keys.
Despite forecasts that temperatures would soar to 45 degrees Celsius (113 degrees Fahrenheit), the first of four scheduled quarterfinals on Day 10 was played outdoors.
“I guess, yeah, as a woman, we are stronger than the guys,” Sabalenka said later at her news conference, laughing. “So they had to close the roof for the guys so they don’t suffer.”
Sabalenka jumped to a 3-0 lead in the opening set and asserted control early against the 29th-seeded Jovic.
Jovic had three break-point chances in the ninth game, which lasted 10 minutes, but could not convert against the world No. 1. In the final game, Sabalenka saved a break point with an ace and sealed the match with another ace on match point. She saved all five break points she faced.
The win gave Sabalenka back-to-back victories over teenage opponents, following her fourth-round win against 19-year-old Canadian Victoria Mboko.
“These teenagers have tested me in the last couple of rounds, incredible player,” Sabalenka said of Jovic in an on-court interview.
“It was a tough match,” she added. “Don’t look at the score. She played incredible tennis and pushed me to another level. It was a battle.”
Jovic was born in California and is the daughter of immigrant parents. Her father is Serbian, and she has sought advice from none other than Novak Djokovic.
Zverev said Tien’s level has risen dramatically since last year, when the young American reached the fourth round.
He credited Tien’s recent work with coach Michael Chang, the 1989 French Open champion. Chang won that title at Roland Garros at age 17, the youngest man to win a Grand Slam singles championship.
“Yeah, he’s a very good player. Very different from last year, for sure,” Zverev said of Tien, the only player outside the top 10 to reach the quarterfinals. “It was incredible to see how he played from the baseline. I thought he was playing unbelievable.
“For me to win, the serve was very important, because from the baseline he was playing amazing.”
The temperature reached 42 degrees Celsius (108 degrees Fahrenheit) at 5 p.m. local time but began to drop ahead of the night session. Play on outside courts was suspended throughout the afternoon.
In the first night match at Rod Laver Arena, No. 3 Coco Gauff was scheduled to face Elina Svitolina. Sabalenka will play the winner in the semifinals.
Top-seeded Carlos Alcaraz faced Alex de Minaur in the nightcap. Alcaraz has won four Grand Slam titles but has never won the Australian Open and has been eliminated in the quarterfinals the past two years.
