Sabalenka keeps Melbourne hat-trick hopes alive

Aryna Sabalenka during her quarter-final match yesterday Pic/Getty Images

Aryna Sabalenka battled through "unbelievable" windy conditions Tuesday to reach the Melbourne semi-finals and keep her dream of an Australian Open hat-trick alive.

The World No.1 faces Spain's Paula Badosa for a place in the final after grinding past Russia's Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova 6-2, 2-6, 6-3.

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"The conditions were unbelievable. The wind was so strong. It was very difficult for both of us," said Sabalenka, who can become the first woman since Martina Hingis in 1999 to win the Australian Open three years in a row.

Sabalenka's 19th win in a row at Melbourne Park turned into a battle for survival in blustery conditions.

The Belarusian had looked like she might run away with the quarter-final when she did not face a break point in the opening set.

Pavlyuchenkova, the 27th seed, found it difficult early on. However, she turned the match on its head in the second set to force a third. But in the eighth game of the third set, Sabalenka made the decisive move, breaking for 5-3 before clinching the game.

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