Belarus’ Aryna Sabalenka reached the Australian Open final for the fourth consecutive year with a resounding 6-2, 6-3 victory over Ukraine’s Elina Svitolina on Thursday in a politically charged match.
Top-seeded Sabalenka will play Jelena Rybakina at Rod Laver Arena on Saturday, aiming for her third title at Melbourne Park in four years and her fifth Grand Slam title overall.
Recommended stories
list of 4 itemsend of list
“It’s unbelievable. It’s an unbelievable feat, but the work is not done yet,” world No. 1 Sabalenka said on court. “I’m very happy with the win. She’s a very tough opponent and has been playing great tennis all week.”
Players from Russia and Belarus have been banned from representing their countries in Grand Slam and tour events since Russia invaded Ukraine, which was based in Belarus, in 2022.
Like other Ukrainian athletes, Svitolina will not shake hands with opponents from Russia or Belarus, an ally of Moscow, because of the war.
The announcement was made before the semi-final at Rod Laver Arena, with a statement flashed on a big screen saying there would be no handshakes and asking fans to “respect” that.
The two players were also noticeably separated for pre-game formalities and photo-ops.
Svitolina has been vocal about the nerves of playing against players from both countries, saying she wants to bring “light” to her country at the Australian Open after a tough winter.
But Sabalenka, 27, dashed those hopes with a ferocious display of raw power.
She became the third professional woman to reach four consecutive Australian Open finals, following Evonne Goolagong-Coley (1971-76) and Martina Hingis (1997-2002), who each reached six consecutive finals.
“I’m disappointed that I couldn’t make it through tonight,” Svitolina told reporters. “Of course, it’s very difficult to play a passionate match against the world No. 1.”
Svitolina, 31, was completely defeated, but fought hard from the first ball to the end.
The 12th seed started tenaciously, hitting a forehand winner down the line on the return serve for the first point.
Sabalenka stumbled and conceded two break points with a loose backhand, but was able to escape.
There was a tense opening at 2-1, with Svitolina winning a point mid-rally and Sabalenka penalized for interfering with a point on a late grunt.
Furious, she demanded a video review, but the point remained the same.
She channeled that frustration into defeating Svitolina and held a 4-1 lead after that.
Sabalenka pinned Svitolina well back on the baseline, grabbed three set points, hit the third and yelled, “Let’s go!” After a passionate crosscourt backhand winner.
After 41 minutes of earth-shaking power, Sabalenka’s weapon finally misfired.
She lost the first service game of the second set with a series of mistakes, and the crowd, eager for the match, erupted into cheers.
However, Sabalenka recovered well and broke Svitolina twice in a row.
Svitolina never lowered her head, winning a break point from a 4-2 lead and putting the match back on serve.
However, Sabalenka’s existence was not denied.
She proved unstoppable after saving a break point with a forehand winner down the line.
Sabalenka grabbed two match points with huge serves and sealed the match in style, plunging in with a forehand cross-court winner to seal her third trophy at Melbourne Park.
Rybakina defeats Pegula, setting up final rematch in 2023
In Thursday’s second semifinal, Rybakina defeated sixth-seeded Jessica Pegula 6-3, 7-6 (7), setting up a rematch with Sabalenka in the 2023 Australian Open women’s singles final.
It took 2022 Wimbledon champion Rybakina an hour and 40 minutes to defeat the American to advance to Saturday night’s final showdown with Sabalenka.
Sabalenka has an 8-6 advantage in head-to-head matches with Rybakina, and the two have split four meetings last year. Rybakina won her most recent match at the WTA Finals in December, the final match of the season.
