"She wanted to play more aggressive" - Muguruza reveals mindset in big win over Sabalenka

Former World No.1 Garbine Muguruza continued her spectacular season on Thursday, as she battled past Aryna Sabalenka to reach the semifinals of the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships.

With both ladies meeting for the second time in two weeks, Sabalenka was hoping to avenge her loss to the Spaniard at last week's Doha semifinal. However, it was Muguruza who again emerged victorious, outlasting her Belarusian opponent in a 3-6 6-3 6-2 slugfest.

"I felt like she came out today more aggressive than our last match in Doha," Muguruza said after the match. "I felt like she wanted to play more aggressive, faster, serving big, and I kind of struggled to find my shots, my game, and she quickly broke me with the serve and took the first set."

Although Sabalenka had the edge in winners as she hit 26 to Muguruza's 23, she was undone by 34 unforced errors. The Spaniard played a cleaner game, hitting only 20 unforced errors and converting five of her 11 break points.

"I tried to be more aggressive as well," revealed Muguruza. "If you have somebody in front of you that is trying to win the point in a couple of shots, you have to be faster and stronger, so I tried to be dominant after. Then everything was more equal. I felt more in the points."

The two-time Grand Slam champion advanced to her third Dubai semifinal (2015 and 2018), where she will face Sabalenka's doubles partner, Elise Mertens. The Belgian defeated American Jessica Pegula 5-7 7-5 6-0 earlier in the day, saving three match points to advance to the semifinals.