Unseeded Garbine Muguruza underlined her return to form by reaching the Australian Open semi-finals for the first time Wednesday, setting up a clash with fellow two-time Grand Slam champion Simona Halep.
The 26-year-old Spaniard, a former world No 1, defeated Russia’s 30th seed Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova 7-5, 6-3 in a hot and sunny Melbourne.
The other semi-final on Thursday sees top seed and home hope Ashleigh Barty face American 14th seed Sofia Kenin.
“Sometimes you don’t feel great but you’ve got to fight and stay there,” said Muguruza, now ranked 32 in the world, after reaching her first Grand Slam semi-final since Roland Garros in 2018.
“The first set was very hard, I think it lasted about an hour, but it was a very important set and I’m glad I got it.”
“I’m excited to play my first semi-final here. I’ve known her (Halep) for quite a long time so it’s going to be a tough match,” she added.
Pavlyuchenkova, 28, who won the girls’ Australian Open title in 2006 and 2007, and Muguruza twice exchanged breaks in the first set for 4-4.
But Muguruza got the decisive break at 5-4 up when the Russian put her backhand long, the Spaniard sealing the first set in 56 minutes on first set point.
Pavlyuchenkova struggled with her serve in the second set and Muguruza, the 2016 French Open champion and Wimbledon winner in 2017, served for the match at 5-3, sealing it with a drop volley.
It extends a rotten run of last-eight defeats for Pavlyuchenkova, who in 49 Grand Slam tournaments has reached six quarter-finals without ever going further.
Muguruza struggled badly for form in the second half of 2019, failing to win two matches in a row after the French Open in May/June.
But seeking inspiration, she climbed Mount Kilimanjaro in the off-season and reunited with coach Conchita Martinez, and the results have been almost immediate.