Hindrance Call, Heated Words: Sabalenka Fumes At Referee For Puzzling Foul Call | WATCH

Last Updated:January 29, 2026, 16:44 IST

Aryna Sabalenka overcame a hindrance controversy with umpire Louise Azemar Engzell to defeat Elina Svitolina 6-2, 6-3 at Rod Laver Arena, reaching the Australian Open final.

Aryna Sabalenka at AO26 (AP)

Aryna Sabalenka’s march into another Australian Open final came with a brief flash of controversy before settling into familiar dominance.

The world No.1 booked her spot in Saturday’s final with a commanding 6-2, 6-3 win over Elina Svitolina on Thursday night, wrapping up the semifinal in just under 80 minutes at Rod Laver Arena.

But early on, things got spicy.

With the first set finely poised, drama erupted in the fourth game when Sabalenka was docked a point for hindrance.

After striking a deep ball that dipped late inside the baseline, the Belarusian let out a grunt as Svitolina sent it back — only for chair umpire Louise Azemar Engzell to stop play and award the point to the Ukrainian.

Sabalenka immediately challenged the call, insisting it was her regular grunt and requesting a review. The umpire, however, stood firm.

“You go ‘ahh, a-ya’… For me, this is hindrance, because you don’t make the normal sound," Azemar Engzell explained, citing ITF rules that award the point if a player is deliberately hindered.

Sabalenka accepted the ruling but didn’t hide her frustration, exchanging further words with the chair umpire after the next point.

If the call was meant to disrupt her, it backfired.

The incident appeared to flick a switch in the top seed, who responded with a blistering burst of power. Sabalenka ripped through Svitolina’s defences, unloading heavy groundstrokes to secure the first break of the match, then breaking again to seal a dominant opening set.

From there, it was largely one-way traffic.

Svitolina had her moments and fought hard, but she simply couldn’t live with the pace coming off Sabalenka’s racquet — while the Belarusian stayed composed, aggressive and ruthless when it mattered, closing out the match without further fuss.

News sports tennis Hindrance Call, Heated Words: Sabalenka Fumes At Referee For Puzzling Foul Call | WATCH

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