Sabalenka beats Svitolina to reach fourth straight Australian Open final
Sabalenka overcame a hindrance call for grunting to win 6-2, 6-3 with 29 winners and reach her fourth consecutive Australian Open final, a feat matched by only two others in the Open era.
- On Thursday, January 29, 2026, Aryna Sabalenka defeated Elina Svitolina 6-2, 6-3 in Melbourne to reach her fourth straight Australian Open final.
- Boasting heavy groundstrokes, Sabalenka finished with 29 winners to Svitolina's 12 and entered Melbourne off strong form with back-to-back Australian Open titles 2023 and 2024.
- Umpire Louise Azemar Engzell called a prolonged grunt by Sabalenka a hindrance; a video review upheld the ruling, but Sabalenka protested then broke back immediately.
- Svitolina, 31, leaves Melbourne having played her first Australian Open semifinal and will return to the top 10 next week, but followed Ukrainian players' stance by skipping the net handshake and group photo.
- Notably, all four semifinalists reached the last four without dropping a set in 56 years, setting up a rematch with Elena Rybakina, and Sabalenka joins Evonne Goolagong and Martina Hingis with four Australian Open finals in the Open era.
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Aryna Sabalenka addresses Ukrainian opponent’s decision to skip handshake after Australian Open semifinal
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles! Top-ranked women’s tennis player Aryna Sabalenka said she respected her opponent’s decision not to shake hands following their semifinal match at the Australian Open on Thursday, a decision that she says most Ukrainian players have been making “for so long.” Sabalenka, who is Belarusian but is only permitted to play under a neutral flag at Grand Slams since the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022, def…
No Handshake, Hindrance Call Controversy Dominates Aryna Sabalenka's Australian Open 2026 Final Entry | 🎾 LatestLY
World number one Aryna Sabalenka defeated Elina Svitolina in a high-stakes semi-final defined by a controversial grunting penalty and the continued absence of post-match handshakes. 🎾 No Handshake, Hindrance Call Controversy Dominates Aryna Sabalenka's Australian Open 2026 Final Entry.
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