World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka advanced to her fourth consecutive Australian open final Thursday, defeating Elina Svitolina 6-2, 6-3 at Melbourne Park. The belarusian star is aiming to secure her second Australian Open title and remains undefeated in the lead-up to Saturday’s championship match, having also won a WTA tournament in Brisbane earlier this month. Sabalenka’s dominant performance continues a streak of success that has seen her reach 11 finals since January of last year, establishing her as a leading force in women’s tennis.
MELBOURNE, Australia — Aryna Sabalenka is marching toward another Grand Slam title, continuing her dominant run at the Australian Open.
The world No. 1 cruised past Elina Svitolina of Ukraine in Thursday night’s semifinal at Melbourne Park, securing a 6-2, 6-3 victory that sent her back to the championship match. The win wasn’t necessarily a surprise, as Sabalenka has consistently reached the late stages of major tournaments.
This marks Sabalenka’s 11th final appearance since January of last year, including five of the last six biggest events in women’s tennis: the Grand Slams and the WTA Tour Finals. She’s clearly established herself as a force to be reckoned with on the biggest stages.
The Belarusian star is building a familiar pattern in Australia, entering the final undefeated after also winning the lead-up WTA tournament in Brisbane. This is her fourth consecutive Australian Open final, having previously won the title twice and suffered a heartbreaking loss to Madison Keys last year.
Sabalenka’s path through the tournament has been characteristically efficient. Early matches often feature a tight set alongside a dominant one, while the later rounds bring tougher contests, occasionally extending to three sets. However, she’s consistently avoided stumbling before the final hurdle.
Elina Svitolina managed to attack and flip points when she should, but Aryna Sabalenka did not let her get on top of the match. (Lintao Zhang / Getty Images)
Thursday’s match was largely one-sided, though Svitolina briefly threatened early in the second set, earning a service break. Sabalenka quickly regained control, showcasing her power and precision. She landed 71 percent of her first serves in the opening set, a remarkable number considering the pace and placement of her deliveries.
Even when she didn’t get her first serve in, Sabalenka was dominant, winning an astounding 75 percent of her second-serve points. She consistently found angles that pushed Svitolina out of position, forcing errors from the Ukrainian’s racket. This match came after Svitolina’s impressive upset of Coco Gauff in the quarterfinals, but she couldn’t replicate that form against Sabalenka.
Sabalenka blended aggressive shotmaking with subtle variety, keeping Svitolina guessing and frequently finishing points at the net. She prevented Svitolina from dictating play and turning defense into attack, a tactic that had been successful earlier in the tournament.
Sabalenka cruised into a fourth consecutive final in Melbourne. (Izhar Khan / AFP via Getty Images)
Sabalenka closed out the match with a powerful serve and forehand combination, leaving Svitolina with no chance to respond. The victory makes her the first woman to reach four consecutive Australian Open finals since Martina Hingis in the 1990s.
“The job is not done yet,” Sabalenka said after the match. She now awaits the winner of the other semifinal, with the championship match looming on Saturday. The win solidifies her status as the favorite to lift the trophy and continue her impressive run of form.
