Sabalenka to face Rybakina for title after reaching fourth straight Australian Open final

Not even a stunning point penalty for hindrance could slow down Aryna Sabalenka's run to a fourth consecutive Australian Open final.

The World No. 1 from Belarus overpowered Ukraine's Elina Svitolina 6-2, 6-3 on Thursday night, moving one victory from a third title in four years at Melbourne Park.

On the other side of the women's singles draw, Elena Rybakina set up a rematch of the 2023 final, as the fifth-seeded Kazakh ousted American sixth seed Jessica Pegula 6-3, 7-6 (7).

The second semifinal was mostly one-way traffic until Pegula served in a desperate effort to prolong the contest. The American held serve in the face of three match points and then broke the 2022 Wimbledon champion twice to force a tiebreaker.

Pegula continued her comeback and had two set points in the extra session, but failed to convert and Rybakina finally clinched the win 29 minutes after her first match point.

"Really, really stressful," Rybakina said. She admitted to having flashbacks to the 2024 Australian Open, when she lost the longest women's tiebreaker in Grand Slam history to Anna Blinkova 22-20, sealing a three-set defeat.

"I'm proud no matter the situation. It got very tight, I stayed there," the Kazakh said of the win over Pegula. "I was fighting for each point."

All four players reached the semifinals without dropping a set – the first time that happened at the Australian Open in 56 years – with Sabalenka and Svitolina both having extended their season-opening winning streaks to 10 matches after claiming titles at warmup events.

Sabalenka became the third woman in the Open Era to reach four straight singles finals in Melbourne, after Evonne Goolagong Cawley and Martina Hingis.

The only hiccup was the controversial call to start the fourth game. Hindrances, called for distractions that prevent players from hitting shots, can include loud noises from opponents.

Umpire Louise Azemar Engzell ruled that Sabalenka let out a prolonged grunt after shanking a forehand. The shot seemed to be sailing long, but landed inside the baseline and just as Svitolina hit the ball back, the official intervened.

Sabalenka asked for a video review, but after checking the tape, Azemar Engzell confirmed her decision that the grunt was more elongated than usual.

"That's actually never happened to me ... especially with my grunting," Sabalenka said. "Then she called it, and I was, like, What? What is wrong with you?"

Rybakina, who reached a major final for the first time since 2023, said she learned a lot from that match. The Kazakh is also coming off a win over Sabalenka in the title contest at the WTA Finals last November, when she picked up a record $5.2 million in prize money.

"I could take only positive from that week," she said. "This is what I'm trying to do ... remembering some good stuff from this WTA Final."