Aryna Sabalenka will reach the Australian Open final for the fourth year in a row and will face Elena Rybakina in a battle of heavy hitters.
The world No. 1, who won back-to-back titles in 2023 and 2024 before suffering a thrilling loss to Madison Keys last year, continued her form with a 6-2, 6-3 win over Svitolina in Melbourne.
Rybakina wobbled in the second set but earned a rematch with Sabalenka, defeating American Jessica Pegula 6-3, 7-6 (9-7).
If the final is anything like the 2023 trophy showdown, Saturday’s ticket holders will have something to look forward to, when Sabalenka fought back from a set down to win her first title in Melbourne.
The Ukrainian, playing in her first semi-final here at age 31 and set to return to the top 10 next week for the first time since before the birth of her daughter Skye in 2022, was overwhelmed by Sabalenka.
Sabalenka, who has yet to drop a set, said: “It’s unbelievable. It’s an unbelievable result, but the job is not done yet. She’s a very tough opponent, but I’m really happy that I was able to overcome this tough match. I played some great tennis.”
The head-to-head record is 5-1 in Sabalenka’s favor, with Svitolina’s only win coming almost six years ago, but that tells a story in itself, with a 29-12 advantage in favor of the top seed.
“She chased me away” – Sabalenka during a jamming call
Sabalenka gets called for interference by referee for ‘different style of grunts’
Svitolina, who was supported courtside by her husband Gael Monfils, likely would have made it had it not been for the kind of interference referee Louise Azemar-Ensel directed against Sabalenka at the start of the fourth match.
Coach Entzel ruled that Sabalenka, known for her loud grunt, had raised her voice after hitting the ball, and awarded the goal to Svitolina.
Sabalenka asked for a video review, but the original decision stood and, fueled by obvious anger, the four-time Grand Slam singles champion promptly broke serve.
“Actually, that has never happened to me,” Sabalenka said. “I think my moans in particular felt really weird. I was breathing out and it just happened on its own. Then she called and I was like, ‘What? What’s wrong?’
“She really pissed me off. And that actually helped me and benefited my game. I was more aggressive. So if she wants to do it again, I want to make sure she’s not afraid of it. Go ahead, give me a call. It’ll help me.”
Her strong baseline game wasn’t lost, but rather landed well, and one of her best sparks, a powerful crosscourt backhand, gave her her 19th winner and the first set.
Sabalenka wobbled slightly at the start of the second set, when Svitolina won two games in a row, but the 27-year-old responded with five games in a row to reach her eighth Grand Slam final and fifth in the last six tournaments, cementing her dominance in the women’s game.
Svitolina, who has maintained the Ukrainian stance of not shaking hands with players from Russia or Belarus since the invasion of Ukraine four years ago, did not acknowledge Sabalenka at the end of the match and stormed off the court after the winner passed her.
Russia’s Mila Andreeva had been booed after her loss to Svitolina earlier in the tournament, with the crowd interpreting the lack of traditional gestures as disrespect from her, but here fans were informed of the outcome of the match before the match.
“It’s their decision and I respect it,” Sabalenka said. “I think she knows that I respect her as a player. I know that she respects me as a player. That’s all I care about.”
Tale of the tape: Sabalenka vs Svitolina
Sabalenka became the third woman to reach four consecutive Australian Open finals, following Evonne Goolagong-Coley (1971-76) and Martina Hingis (1997-2002), who reached six consecutive professional finals.
Although Svitolina was disappointed with the result, she said: “I had a great opportunity to play here on Center Court, represent my country, play in a proper way, use my own words and just be there for my people.”
“When I wake up in the morning, of course I see the scary news, but then I see people watching my games. They’re writing comments and I think it’s like a big exchange of positive emotions.”
“I shouldn’t be allowed to really feel sad because people live a really horrible, horrible life in Ukraine, because I’m a very, very lucky person.”
Rybakina sets up Sabalenka final
Rybakina will rematch Sabalenka in Australian Open final from 2023
Rybakina has not reached a Grand Slam final since competing here three years ago, but the Kazakhstani has had to deal with the fallout from a suspension given to her coach Stefano Vukov last year for his behavior towards her.
Vukov denied any wrongdoing, and Rybakina supported him, and his suspension was later lifted on appeal.
Fifth-seeded Rybakina got off to a strong start at Rod Laver Arena, with the 26-year-old setting the terms with her trademark hard strikes and putting pressure on American Pegula, who looked strange under the lights.
Sixth-seeded Pegula held her nerve and saved a break point to keep it close at 4-2, but Rybakina turned up the heat again, taking the first set with a cross-court winner and taking a step towards a place in the final.
Rybakina, who ended the 2025 season by lifting the trophy by defeating Sabalenka in the season-ending WTA Finals, broke Pegula in the second set to take a 2-1 lead and appeared to be in a hurry to face the Belarusian for the 15th time.
A clean forehand winner that put Rybakina ahead drew a frustrated reaction from Pegula, who calmly broke back and then saved three match points to tie the match at 5-5.
Rybakina responded immediately after receiving an assist from Netcord, but a determined Pegula remained unyielding and forced a tie-break, squandering two set points before finally fading away.
Story on the tape: Rybakina vs Pegula
“I had an epic tie-break here a few years ago and lost, and it was the longest tie-break in a women’s match (I lost a 22-20 tie-break as part of my loss to Anna Blinkova in 2024). I had a bit of a flashback, but I’m so glad I turned around in the end,” Rybakina said.
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