Aryna Sabalenka booked her place in the Australian Open with a comprehensive 6-2, 6-3 win over 12th seed Elina Svitolina. The World No. 1 produced some impressive tennis in a match that had it’s fair share of drama in the opening set, when the chair umpire gave her a hindrance call.
Aryna Sabalenka Issues Clarification After Speculation Over Post-Match Act
After the match got over, Sabalenka was spotted mouthing something, with some speculating that it was ‘F*** you’. However, when asked about this in her post-match press conference, the 27-year-old said that she did not say anything apart from thank you to the umpire.
“No, no, no. I just said thank you to the referee and that’s it,” Sabalenka said.
After defeating Svitolina, Sabalenka will play in her fourth straight Australian Open final, where she will take on fifth seed Elena Rybakina. The Kazakh reached her second Grand Slam title clash after beating sixth seed Jessica Pegula 6-3, 7-6(7).
Sabalenka and Rybakina have both fared dominantly so far at the Australian Open, with neither player dropping a single set en route to the final. The World No. 1 started her campaign at the Melbourne Major with a 6-4, 6-1 win over Tiantsoa Rakotomanga Rajaonah and followed it up with a comprehensive 6-3, 6-1.
She then played what has statistically been her cloest match so far at the tournament, beating Anastasia Potapova 7-6(4), 7-6(7). Sabalenka beat 17th seed Victoria Mboko 6-1, 7-6(1) before trouncing 29th seed Iva Jovic 6-3, 6-0.
Rybakina dropped just 23 games in her first four rounds as she booked her place in the quarterfinals with wins over Kaja Juvan, Varvara Gracheva, Tereza Valentová, and 21st seed Elise Mertens. The Kazakh then ousted Iga Świątek by beating her 7-5, 6-1 before bagging her win over Pegula.
Aryna Sabalenka and Elena Rybakina Will Lock Horns for 15th Time
Sabalenka vs Rybakina has been one of the most exciting fixtures in tennis over the past 3 years, with the two playing out some thrilling encounters. They faced one another four times in 2025, with both players winning two matches each. Their last encounter came in the final of the WTA Finals, with Rybakina winning 6-3, 7-6(0).
Sabalenka, however, leads their head-to-head when it comes to Grand Slams, having beaten the Kazakh in their two prior meetings at Majors. The Belarusian came back from a set down to defeat Rybakina in the final of the 2023 Australian Open, two years after beating her in the fourth round of Wimbledon 2021.
Victory for Sabalenka will see her win her fifth Grand Slam singles title while Rybakina will clinch her second Major crown if she comes out on top.
