World number one Aryna Sabalenka has powered into her fourth consecutive Australian Open final with a dominant 6-2, 6-3 victory over Ukraine's Elina Svitolina. The Belarusian became the first woman since Martina Hingis to reach four straight finals at Melbourne Park, extending her ruthless form without dropping a single set throughout the tournament.
Sabalenka's baseline game proved too powerful for the 31-year-old Svitolina, who reached her first Australian Open semi-final. The world number one struck 29 winners compared to Svitolina's 12, maintaining her head-to-head advantage at 5-1. "I cannot believe that, that's an incredible achievement but the job is not done yet," Sabalenka said. "She's such a tough opponent, just super happy to be through this tough match. I played great tennis."
Controversial hindrance ruling
The match sparked controversy when chair umpire Louise Azemar Engzell penalized Sabalenka for a hindrance in the first set. The ruling, given for what the umpire deemed an extended grunt, awarded a point to Svitolina. Sabalenka's video review proved unsuccessful.
The 27-year-old expressed bewilderment at the decision. "I don't know, I've done it so many times at different tournaments, never had this call," she said. "When you breathe out, sometimes it happens naturally, I didn't do it on purpose, I knew the ball was flying in."
TNT Sports apologizes for expletive
Sabalenka's frustration over the ruling led to an on-air incident during her post-match interview on Rod Laver Arena. While explaining how the controversial call had motivated her, she used an expletive that prompted TNT Sports presenter Laura Robson to immediately apologize. "An apology for the slight mishap with the language there but fair enough," Robson told viewers.
Sabalenka later acknowledged the penalty had fired her up. "[...] Actually, I'm grateful that she did it because she p****d me off, I won that game because I won that game so thanks a lot because next time don't hesitate again," she said.
Final showdown with Rybakina
Sabalenka will face Kazakhstan's Elena Rybakina in Saturday's final, a repeat of the 2023 championship match which Sabalenka won in three sets. The world number one is chasing her third successive Australian Open title after triumphing in 2023 and 2024. She lost last year's final to Madison Keys. This marks Sabalenka's eighth Grand Slam final overall.
The winner will collect £3 million, while Sabalenka has already guaranteed herself £1.5 million for reaching the final. She has held the world number one ranking for more than 70 weeks.
Ukrainian stance continues
Svitolina did not acknowledge Sabalenka at the end of the match, quickly walking off court. Ukrainian players have maintained a stance of not shaking hands with Russian or Belarusian opponents for four years since the invasion of their country. Officials informed fans of this protocol before the contest.
Despite the semi-final defeat, Svitolina will return to the top ten next week for the first time since giving birth to her daughter in 2022.
Note: This article was created with Artificial Intelligence (AI).
