Aryna Sabalenka has dared officials to penalise her again for grunting after she rumbled over the top of Ukrainian Elina Svitolina in the Australian Open semi-final on Thursday to reach her fourth straight final at Melbourne Park. The world No 1 suppressed Svitolina’s mid-match momentum in a 6-2, 6-3 victory in just 77 minutes on Rod Laver Arena thanks to a dominant display of power tennis.
Sabalenka said she was wary given Svitolina’s impressive Melbourne Park run, and had wanted to play aggressively. “I felt like I had to step in and push as much pressure as I could back on her, and I’m glad the level was there today,” she said on court, before adding that while she was proud to have progressed to the final without dropping a set: “The job is not done.”
The match swung her way in the fourth game when she broke Svitolina the first of four times. But it started in unusual fashion when the umpire, Louise Engzell, awarded a point to Svitolina for hindrance, after Sabalenka unleashed an unusual scream mid-point.
The 27-year-old sought a video review, but it only confirmed the umpire’s original decision. It prompted an exchange between player and umpire that clarified the grunt in question added a second, trailing sound. The confrontation clearly irked the top seed, who became even more fiery through a barrage of groundstrokes. By the end, Sabalenka had hit 29 winners to Svitolina’s 12.
Sabalenka said afterwards she thought it was the “wrong call”, but was not concerned about getting penalised in future. “How do I say in a nice way? She [the umpire] really pissed me off, and it’s actually help[ed] me and benefit[ed] my game; I was more aggressive,” she said. “I was not happy with the call, and it really helped me to get that game. So if she ever want[s] to do it again, I want to make sure that she’s not afraid of it. Go ahead, call it. It’s going to help me.”
The match didn’t go all the Belarusian’s way, however, and Svitolina was left ruing a chance at 15-30 in the first set as she sought to break back immediately. Coming on to a mishit drop shot from Sabalenka, she overhit the approach and three points later the score was 4-1.
Sabalenka’s power and accuracy dictated proceedings, forcing Svitolina into defensive shots in alternating corners, and unable to find her game’s defining counterpunch. Her career renaissance has taken her back to the top 10, and her run at Melbourne Park has taken out two top 10 players – the American Coco Gauff and Mirra Andreeva – as well as another prominent Russian in the 22nd seed, Diana Shnaider. But against Sabalenka, she faced a formidable foe.
The 31-year-old’s team was trying everything to find a way back, and Svitolina’s coach, Andy Bettles, could be heard urging his player to hit the ball either side of the rampaging Belarusian when she was serving at 2-5. But the set soon fell, the first Svitolina had lost at the tournament.
Sabalenka briefly lost her way at the start of the second set. She gave up her first break in the opening game, triggering a manic exchange with her team. Having lost the game, she stormed back to her chair, pointing to her head as she mouthed her complaints. But again the world No 1 steadied, breaking straight back and accelerating through the rest of the match.
The Ukrainian did not approach the net for the traditional handshake with the Belarusian,as she has done after playing Russian players earlier in the tournament. An announcement prior to the match had notified fans not to expect a handshake.
Sabalenka will meet fifth seed Elena Rybakina, who beat Jessica Pegula in the other semi-final. It will be a rematch of the 2023 final at Melbourne Park, which delivered Sabalenka’s first grand slam title.
“Me and her, we both are different players, we went through different things. We’re much stronger mentally and physically, and we’re playing better tennis now,” Sabalenka said. “We have long history after that final, so I’ll approach this match as the very first one, and I will do my very best.”
