Aryna Sabalenka has become only the fourth world No. 1 to reach the semi-finals of three of the most significant events on the WTA Tour in the first three months of the season.
The world No. 1 defeated Zheng Qinwen in straight sets in the thequarterfinall of the Miami Open to secure her place in the last four of the WTA 1000 event.
That result meant Sabalenka joined greats Steffi Graf, Martina Hingis, and Serena Williams in the exclusive club of WTA world No 1s to reach the semi-finals of the Australian Open, Indian Wells Ope, and Miami Open.
Hingis achieved the feat three times, while Graf and Williams did it once. Graf, though, is the only one to win all three tournaments.
Steffi Graf
The 22-time Grand Slam was the first to notch up the achievement as she pulled it off during the 1994 season as she won all three events.
Graf beat 16th seed Lindsay Davenport in the quarterfinal of the Australian Open and then defeated 10th seed Kimiko Date in the semifinal before seeing off Arantxa Sánchez Vicario 6-0, 6-2 in the final.
She then won the Indian Wells Open after defeating Ginger Helgeson, Iva Majoli, and Amanda Coetzer in her last three matches before completing the hat-trick with titles with wins over Date, Davenport, and Natasha Zvereva in Miami.
Martina Hingis
The Swiss great pulled off the feat three times as she reached the last four of the three events in 1998, 2000, and 2001.
In 1998, she walked away with the Australian Open and the Indian Wells titles while she lost in the semi-final in Miami against Venus Williams.
Two years later, she lost the Australian Open and the Indian Wells Open finals against Davenport, but then got the better of the American in the final of the Miami Open.
In 2001, she reached the last four of all three events but didn’t win any of the titles as she was beaten by Jennifer Capriati in the final in Melbourne, lost against Kim Clijsters in the last four in Indian Wells, and was beaten by Venus Williams in the semifinals in Miami.
Serena Williams
The 23-time Grand Slam winner’s run to the semi-final of the three tournaments came during her all-conquering 2015 season when she won three of the four majors.
Williams won the Australian Open, beating Madison Keys in the semi-final and Maria Sharapova in the final, then exited the Indian Wells Open at the last-four stage as she withdrew from her semi-final against Simona Halep due to injury.
A few weeks later, she beat Halep in the last four in Miami before claiming a 6-2, 6-0 win over Carla Suárez Navarro in the final.
Aryna Sabalenka
Reigning world No. 1 Sabalenka started her year as the defending champion at the Australian Open, and she beat good friend Paula Badosa in the semi-final and then lost the final against Madison Keys.
She followed it up with a run to the final of the Indian Wells Open, but this time, she was beaten by 17-year-old Mirra Andreeva.
Her 6-2, 7-5 victory over ninth seed Zheng has helped her to follow in Graf, Hingi, and Williams’ footsteps. She will next face Jasmine Paolini.
