22nd seed Elena Rybakina and 24th seed Victoria Azarenka will face off in a do-or-die semi final on Thursday for a spot in the Australian Open final.
The duo have been near faultless in the lead up to this match, dropping only one set each since the beginning of the tournament on January 16.
Set for the big stage at Rod Laver Arena, Rybakina is hoping to add some more silverware to her cabinet after taking home the 2022 Wimbledon trophy.
The Kazakh took down 1st seed Iga Swiatek in the fourth round as well as Jelena Ostapenko (17) and Danielle Collins (13) in such an impressive manner.
However, her opponent also knows what it takes to claim a Grand Slam, with Azarenka winning the Australian Open in 2012 and 2013.
It’s been a long time since the Belarusian has made in the final four, with her only time since the 2013 season being the 2020 US Open final.
Despite the long time between drinks, the 33-year-old is arguably playing some of her best tennis.
In her run to the semi final, Azarenka took down American trifecta Sofia Kenin, Madison Keys and Jessica Pegula.
So with both players in excellent form, who will advance to the Australian Open final?
The Sporting News provides live score updates, highlights and commentary for the match below.
Elena Rybakina vs Victoria Azarenka live score
1st set
2nd set
3rd set
[22] Elena Rybakina (KAZ)
[24] Victoria Azarenka
Elena Rybakina vs Victoria Azarenka live blog, updates, highlights
Pre-match: Hello and welcome to The Sporting News’ live coverage of the Australian Open semi final match between Elena Rybakina and Victoria Azarenka from Rod Laver Arena.
Elena Rybakina vs Victoria Azarenka head-to-head results
The pair have met only once, with Rybakina taking home the victory at the Indian Wells Masters last year.
Year
Winner
Score
Event
Stage
2022
Elena Rybakina
6-3 6-4
Indian Wells
Round of 32
MORE: Australian Open schedule 2023: Full draws, TV coverage, channels & how to watch every tennis match
What time is Elena Rybakina vs Victoria Azarenka?
Times are approximate – subject to weather conditions and completion of prior matches.
UK
USA
Canada
Australia
Date
TBC
TBC
TBC
Thursday, January 25
Time
TBC
TBC
TBC
TBC
How to watch Elena Rybakina vs Victoria Azarenka in the semi final of the Australian Open
UK
USA
Canada
Australia
TV channel
Eurosport 1 or 2
ESPN/ESPN2
TSN1/TSN5
Channel 9
Streaming
eurosport.uk
ESPN+ and fuboTV
TSN+
9Now/Stan Sport
Australia: The Nine Network is the free-to-air broadcaster of the Australian Open 2023.
The Australian Open can also be watched on SmartTV’s 9Now and Stan Sport as well as 9Gem.
Fans can also stream the Australian Open through 9Now and Stan Sport.
UK: Coverage of the Australian Open 2023 will be broadcast in the UK live and exclusively on Eurosport.
Eurosport 1 and 2 will provide daily coverage of the action in Melbourne.
UK fans can also stream the Australian Open through the discovery+ app, the Eurosport app, or through eurosport.co.uk
USA: Tennis fans based in the United States will be able to watch this year’s Australian Open via ESPN. Matches will be broadcast on both ESPN and ESPN2.
ESPN+ and fuboTV will both offer live streaming during the 2023 Australian Open. FuboTV offers a free trial.
Canada: The 2023 Australian Open will be broadcast in Canada by TSN.
Matches will be shown on either TSN1 or TSN5.
Canadian fans are able to live stream the action from Melbourne Park on TSN+.
The full TSN+ broadcast schedule can be accessed here.
