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"I have no words because I'm so tired," Kazakh
Rybakina said.
"It was such a tough battle. I got a little bit lucky with new
balls, so it was easier to serve it out ... now, I just need to
recover."
Rybakina, the world number four and 2022 Wimbledon champion,
will need to bring her best again when she takes on three-time
tournament champion and former world number one Azarenka.
The veteran Belarusian player contended with a near hour-long
stoppage in the first set because of a power outage to the
electronic line-calling system before beating Yulia Putintseva
7-6(4) 1-6 6-3 earlier in the day.
Azarenka saved three set points en route to clinching the first
set tiebreak in the 90-minute opener before her unseeded
opponent raised her game in the second to force a decider.
Azarenka proved too solid down the stretch, firing an
unreturnable serve on match point.
"Very happy with today's win," the 34-year-old told reporters.
"It's good to be back in the later stages of the tournament,
it's what I work for."
(Reporting by Rory Carroll; Editing by Peter Rutherford)
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