Sabalenka On Cruise Control: World No.1 Storms Into Fourth Straight AO Final; Decimates Svitolina

Last Updated:January 29, 2026, 16:00 IST

Sabalenka will now face the winner of the second semi-final -- either Jessica Pegula or Elena Rybakina -- in the final of the Australian Open on Saturday.

Sabalenka makes it to her fourth consecutive AO final, in pursuit of her third AO title (AP)

Aryna Sabalenka barely broke stride on Thursday as she powered her way into yet another Australian Open final, brushing aside World No. 12 Elina Svitolina with ruthless efficiency in Melbourne.

The top seed wrapped up the semifinal 6-2, 6-3, as she silenced the Melbourne crowd with her game.

Sabalenka was sharp, controlled and utterly unbothered, racing through the first set with minimal resistance as Svitolina struggled to find a foothold in her maiden Australian Open semifinal.

To her credit, the Ukrainian wasn’t ready to roll over.

Riding the wave of crowd support, Svitolina broke serve early in the second set and briefly surged ahead 2-0, igniting hopes of a fightback after what has been a dream run for her in Melbourne.

That spark, however, only seemed to wake the beast.

Sabalenka responded in emphatic fashion, lifting her intensity several notches and reasserting her authority with a blistering run of games.

Her serve began to bite harder, her groundstrokes grew heavier, and Svitolina was once again left chasing shadows as the Belarusian reeled off three games on the trot to flip the script.

Svitolina stole one game to keep the fight going. But it was too little too late.

With venom on every strike and composure to match her power, Sabalenka closed out the match in clinical style, extinguishing Svitolina’s hopes of a first Grand Slam final.

The victory sends Sabalenka into her fourth consecutive Australian Open final and keeps her firmly on course for a third title at the season’s opening major.

Standing between her and another Melbourne crown will be either Jessica Pegula or Elena Rybakina, who meet in the second semifinal.

News sports tennis Sabalenka On Cruise Control: World No.1 Storms Into Fourth Straight AO Final; Decimates Svitolina

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