Karolina Muchova has beatan Aryna Sabalenka for a third straight time, at the China Open. -AP
Karolina Muchova had ended second-ranked Aryna Sabalenka's 15-match winning streak with a 7-6 (4) 2-6 6-4 victory in the China Open quarterfinals.
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The 49th-ranked Muchova saved set points in the first set and came from 4-2 down in the third to win in 2 hours, 46 minutes on Friday.
It was the third consecutive time Muchova, a US Open semi-finalist last month, has won against the three-time major winner. The Czech player now leads their head-to-heads 3-1.
Sabalenka's streak started with a title at Cincinnati in August and continued with her US Open title last month.
She also won the Australian Open earlier in the year, while her previous career-best streak of 15 wins came across the 2020-21 seasons.
Muchova will meet either China's Paris Olympics gold medallist Zheng Qinwen or Mirra Andreeva of Russia, who played later Friday, in the semi-finals.
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