Aryna Sabalenka has reached the semifinals of the Australian Open for the fourth consecutive year. Ahead of her final four match, where she will face either Coco Gauff or Elina Svitolina, the World No. 1 shared her thoughts.
Sabalenka has previously won the singles title at the Melbourne Major twice, in 2023 and 2024, defeating Elena Rybakina and Zheng Qinwen, respectively. She could not complete a hattrick of titles after losing to Madison Keys in last year’s final.
Aryna Sabalenka Reveals Her Plan on Facing Coco Gauff or Elina Svitolina at Australian Open SF
Sabalenka and Gauff have faced each other 12 times on the WTA Tour, with both players winning six matches each. Their most recent encounter was at the 2025 WTA Finals, where the four-time singles Grand Slam champion secured a 7-6(5), 6-2 win, and then went on to finish as the runner-up to Rybakina.
On the other hand, Sabalenka and Svitolina have met six times on the WTA Tour, with the World No. 1 winning five of those matches. Their most recent matchup was in the semifinals of the 2025 Madrid Open, where Sabalenka triumphed with a scoreline of 6-3, 7-5.
Sabalenka is the top seed at the 2026 Australian Open, and secured her place in the semifinals by defeating wild card Tiantsoa Rakotomanga Rajaonah, qualifier Bai Zhuoxuan, Anastasia Potapova, 17th seed Victoria Mboko, and 29th seed Iva Jović.
After her victory over Jović, during her post-match press conference, Sabalenka was asked about her strategy for the semifinal against Gauff or Svitolina. In response, the World No. 1 stated that she doesn’t care who she faces in the final four. She expressed that she will only focus on her own game and will do everything she can to secure a win and advance to the final.
“Well, I think we know each other quite well, and we know the tactics that each of us is going to bring into the courtroom. And once again, I honestly don’t care if it’s Coco [Gauff ]or if it’s Elina [Svitolina]. I’ll be out there. I’ll be fighting. I’ll be doing everything I can to get the win,” Sabalenka said.
Gauff, seeded third at the 2026 Australian Open, advanced to the quarterfinals against Svitolina by defeating Kamilla Rakhimova, Olga Danilović, compatriot Hailey Baptiste, and 19th seed Karolína Muchová.
Meanwhile, 12th-seeded Svitolina reached the quarterfinals at the Melbourne Major by eliminating the likes of Cristina Bucșa, qualifier Linda Klimovičová, 23rd-seeded Diana Shnaider, and eighth-seeded Mirra Andreeva in the first four rounds, respectively.
