Sabalenka stops compatriot Azarenka to reach Montreal semis

MONTREAL (AP) — Top-seeded Aryna Sabalenka beat eighth-seeded Victoria Azarenka, 6-2, 6-4 on Friday in a quarterfinal between players from Belarus at the National Bank Open. Sabalenka, ranked No. 3, trailed 4-2 in the second set before winning four games in a row. She had seven aces in the 79-minute match. Sabalenka will face fourth-seeded Karolina Pliskova of the Czech Republic min the semifinals. Pliskova beat Spain’s Sara Sorribes Tormo 6-4, 6-0. American Jessica Pegula rallied to beat 13th-seeded Ons Jabeur of Tunisia 1-6, 7-6 (4), 6-0 in the late match to set up a semifinal against Italy’s Camila Giorgi. Pegula won her lone WTA Tour title in 2019, beating Giorgi in the Citi Open final in Washington. Giorgi beat 17-year-old American Coco Gauff 6-4, 7-6 (2).