Tsurenko powers into semifinal

11 January 2018, by Leigh Rogers

Fifth seed Lesia Tsurenko is finding good form – as Belarusian Aryna Sabalenka found out the hard way today.

The world No.43 from Ukraine powered through their quarterfinal match, winning 6-1 6-1 in 61 minutes. Tsurenko lost only 10 points on serve.

“I was feeling comfortable out there,” Tsurenko said.

“I was serving well, which is a good improvement on my previous match.”

A misfiring Sabalenka had no answer, spraying errors against a more solid opponent.

“I’m trying to play as relaxed as I can,” Tsurenko said.

“This match showed me I can play at a really high level and I hope to play even better in my next match.”

The 28-year-old plays either Romanian Mihaela Buzarnescu or American Alison Riske in tomorrow’s semifinals.

> Tomorrow’s schedule

Tsurenko said she was determined to continue her winning run.

“It’s very nice to play some matches before a Grand Slam, especially after the off-season,” Tsurenko said.

“This is my main goal here, to play matches.”