Carla Suarez Navarro: Aryna Sabalenka got through a dramatic tiebreak set to get past Marta Kostyuk 6-1, 7-6(8) in two hours and five minutes on Campo Centrale, completing the quarterfinal lineup at the Italian Open.
After a routine first set for the World No. 1, Sabalenka and Kostyuk put on a thrilling display in the second set. Sabalenka fought back from 5-3 down before edging past Kostyuk and increasing her head-to-head lead to 4-0.
Sabalenka stayed strong when facing break points, stopping the match from getting more difficult. She saved the first 12 break points before Kostyuk finally took her 13th chance. Kostyuk then led 5-3 and served for the second set. But her lead didn’t last long—Sabalenka broke back easily, winning the game without losing a point, and kept the set going.
