Sabalenka roars past Svitolina to meet Rybakina in Australian final

Only silenced by an umpire who penalized her with a point for being annoying with her shouting, number one Aryna Sabalenka beat Ukraine's Elina Svitolina (12th) 6-2, 6-3 on Thursday to qualify for her fourth straight final against Australia, where Elena Rybakina (5th) awaits.

The 27-year-old Belarusian will seek her fifth Grand Slam title on Saturday, her third in Melbourne, where she won in 2023 - precisely in a final against Rybakina - and 2024.

Sabalenka also won the US Open in 2024 and 2025. Last year in the Melbourne final she lost to Madison Keys.

The two players came into the semifinal in excellent form, not having dropped a set in Melbourne and on 10-match winning streaks: Sabalenka had won in Brisbane in the run-up, and Svitolina triumphed in Auckland.

The duel, in which Sabalenka imposed her strength, had controversy at the start of the fourth game. Sabalenka was penalized for annoying Svitolina with her shouting, which provoked a long video review and booing.

Visibly upset, Sabalenka lost the point, but regained her composure to break serve and take a 3-1 lead. The 27-year-old powerhouse closed out the set in 41 minutes of dominance.

The 31-year-old veteran Svitolina reacted at the start of the second set, breaking Sabalenka's serve to take a 2-0 lead. But the Belarusian rallied and strung together five straight games for a 5-2 lead that guaranteed her victory.

The second set

In the second set, Kazakhstan's Rybakina outlasted American Jessica Pegula (6th) 6-3, 7-6 (9/7) in a one-hour, 40-minute battle on Rod Laver Arena.

Rybakina, the 2022 Wimbledon champion, has not played in a Grand Slam final since losing in Melbourne to Sabalenka two years ago.