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2 min readJan 29, 2026 05:00 PM IST
Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus plays a forehand return to Elina Svitolina of Ukraine during their semifinal match at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Thursday, Jan. 29, 2026. (AP Photo)
World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka was cautious about not getting carried away after entering the 2026 Australian Open final with a 6-2 6-3 straight sets win over Elina Svitolina on Thursday. The 27-year-old Belarusian, who lost to Madison Keys in the 2025 final, admitted that she found it hard to believe that she had become the first player since Martina Hingis in 2002 to reach four consecutive Australian Open finals.
“I cannot believe that, it is an incredible achievement. But the job is not done yet. I am super happy with the win, she (Svitolina) is a great opponent and was playing incredible tennis throughout the week. I am super happy to get through this tough match.”
“I have been watching her game and I felt like I had to step in and put as much pressure as I could today. I’m glad that the level was there today. I am happy to get this win in straight sets,” Sabalenka said after the win on Thursday.
Ahead of the final, though, Sabalenka will look to unwind by watching the second season of Homeland on Netflix.
“I am on season two of Homeland, the plan is for me and my boyfriend to finish the season! It has been forever since we started watching it and we are only on season two. First of all a little bit of a hit, [after that] it’s Netflix, maybe dinner with the team and I’m ready to go,” she said.
Sabalenka won the Australian Open in 2023 and 2024 but could not complete the three-peat in 2025, losing in three sets. She had thrown her racket, draped a white towel over her head, and briefly stepped off the court before returning for the post-match ceremony.
“I just needed … that time for myself to kind of switch off and forget and … be respectful. There definitely was a bit of frustration because I was so close to achieve something crazy. When you’re out there, you’re fighting, but it seems like everything going not the way you really want to go,” she had said after the defeat last year.
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