No. 1 seed Aryna Sabalenka will face No. 8 Mirra Andreeva for the fourth time in the Brisbane International semifinals on Saturday after both players won their quarterfinal matches in straight sets.

In the evening session, Sabalenka took revenge for her loss to Marie Bouzkova in last year’s semifinals in Washington, defeating the unseeded Czech player 6-3, 6-4 in 1 hour and 44 minutes. Previously, Andreeva had improved to 2-0 overall against her childhood idol Ons Jabeur and secured two set points in the second set before winning 6-4, 7-6(2).

Sabalenka leads the duel against Andreeva 2-1, with all three previous meetings taking place on clay. Sabalenka won their first two meetings in the 2023 and 2024 Madrid editions in straight sets, but Andreeva did it with a 6-7(5), 6-4, 6-4 win in the quarterfinals of Roland Garros last year.

Sabalenka makes it through tight opening and closing phases

Bouzkova’s previous record and fast style of play had been expected to put Sabalenka to the test, not least from the world No. 1 himself.

“No matter how good your shot is, you get an extra ball,” Sabalenka said afterwards. “So it’s always really difficult against them.”

This was most evident at the start and end of their Brisbane competition. There were six deuces in the first two games, and after breaking Sabalenka in the first game, Bouzkova had three opportunities to secure the 2-0 lead. But Sabalenka invented a series of spectacular forehands to give her an immediate breakback.

The three-time major champion later needed five match points to secure victory. After trailing 5-3, Bouzkova saved two match points with her own serve and then saved two break points to level the second set at 5-5 when Sabalenka’s forehand began to miss. Once again Sabalenka was in control when she needed it, converting her fifth match point by slamming a service winner off the tee.

In between, Sabalenka was rock solid. Bouzkova kept her game as steady as ever, committing just eight unforced errors, but Sabalenka’s tally of 42 wins with 34 unforced errors put her in full control. Sabalenka’s confidence was such that she even hit a tweener midway through the second set, although an undisturbed Bouzkova still capped the match’s best point with a backhand winner down the line.

Polina Kudermetova continues her breakthrough; to face Kalinina

Two unseeded players will compete in the lower half semifinals. Anhelina Kalinina defeated local wildcard Kimberly Birrell 4-6, 6-1, 7-5 and secured a match point with a serve of 5-4 in the second set. She will face qualifier Polina Kudermetova, ranked 107th in the rankings, who emerged victorious from a precise power struggle over Ashlyn Krueger 7:6(5), 6:3.

The 21-year-old Kudermetova reached her first WTA semifinal in Merida at the end of 2024 and started her second and first at the WTA 500 level in 2025. She is guaranteed to make her top-100 debut in next week’s edition of the PIF WTA Rankings. Meanwhile, Kalinina will be fighting to reach her third WTA final in her career and first since Rome 2023.