Belarusian neutral Victoria Azarenka eased past the United States' third seed Jessica Pegula in straight sets ©Getty Images

Two-time winner Victoria Azarenka is into the Australian Open semi-finals for the first time in a decade with an impressive victory against third seed Jessica Pegula, while Greek world number four Stefanos Tsitsipas is through to the last four for the third consecutive year.

Belarusian Azarenka, playing as a neutral, won back-to-back titles in Melbourne in 2012 and 2013, but has not made the semi-finals since.

Facing her toughest test of the Australian Open so far, Azarenka proved too strong for Pegula, who was beaten in the quarter-finals for the third year running.

Azarenka started strongly to take the first set 6-4, and was dominant in the second as she broke Pegula's serve three times to clinch it 6-1.

"I knew from the very first point I had to bring it, to take my opportunities," she said afterwards.

"I'm very proud I executed my game plan very well.

"It's so amazing to be in the semi-final of another Grand Slam."

The 33-year-old is set to play Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan in the semi-finals.

Having knocked out tournament favourite Iga Świątek of Poland in the fourth-round, she picked up where she left off against Latvia's Jeļena Ostapenko, triumphing 6-2, 6-4.

Kazakhstan's Elena Rybakina is into the semi-finals with victory over Latvia's Jeļena Ostapenko ©Getty Images
Kazakhstan's Elena Rybakina is into the semi-finals with victory over Latvia's Jeļena Ostapenko ©Getty Images

Tsitsipas' only men's singles Grand Slam final to date is the French Open in 2021, having lost at the semi-final stage at Melbourne Park three times.

His bid to go one better than he has managed previously at the Australian Open appears to be gathering momentum - his victory over his Czech opponent Jiří Lehečka was his fourth out of five at this year's tournament achieved in straight sets.

Lehečka had upset Briton Cameron Norrie and Canada's Félix Auger-Aliassime at the tournament this year, but facing Tsitsipas on his Rod Laver Arena debut proved a bridge too far.

Tsitsipas saved all eight break points in the match, and triumphed 6-3, 7-6, 6-4.

However, he almost undid his good work in the eighth game of the first set, narrowly missing a ball kid as he smashed the ball against the backboard in frustration after a winner from Lehečka.

Had the ball struck the ball kid, Tsitsipas would have risked incurring the same fate as Serbia's Novak Djokovic at the US Open in 2020, when he was infamously disqualified for accidentally hitting a line judge.

Greece's Stefanos Tsitsipas reached his third consecutive Australian Open semi-final at the expense of Czech Republic's Jiří Lehečka ©Getty Images
Greece's Stefanos Tsitsipas reached his third consecutive Australian Open semi-final at the expense of Czech Republic's Jiří Lehečka ©Getty Images

"It was a very difficult three-setter, one of the most difficult ones I had so far in the competition," Tsitsipas said.

Russian Olympic silver medallist Karen Khachanov, playing as a neutral because of the war in Ukraine, is set to be his semi-final opponent.

Khachanov - who has angered Azerbaijan at the Australian Open through his support for the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region, known by separatists as the Republic of Artsakh - was in control against Sebastian Korda before his American opponent retired due to a wrist injury.

Khachanov has yet to drop a set at this year's tournament, winning the first two 7-6 and 6-3 against an opponent who knocked out his compatriot Daniil Medvedev and Poland's Hubert Hurkacz.

He led 3-0 in the third, with Korda unable to continue because of the pain in his wrist.

The remaining quarter-finals are due to be held tomorrow, including the men's singles stand-out tie between Djokovic and Russian neutral Andrey Rublev and women's singles fifth seed Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus, playing as a neutral, against Croatia's Donna Vekić.