Kamal Ghorui
Melbourne: Aryna Sabalenka’s shoes told the story long before the scoreboard did. Their silver, star-like sparkles glittered under the lights of the Rod Laver Arena as she stamped her authority on the Australian Open semi-finals.There was nothing restrained about the world No.1’s performance as the 27-year-old quelled the challenge of Ukraine’s Elina Svitolina 6-2, 6-3 in 77 minutes to book her place in a fourth consecutive title match at Melbourne Park.Sabalenka struck 29 winners, claimed eight of her nine service games, and converted four of seven break-point opportunities to set up a final showdown with the big-serving Kazakh Elena Rybakina on a cool Thursday evening here. The fifth seed defeated American Jessica Pegula 6-3, 7-6 (7) in the second semi-final, sealing victory with a two-handed backhand on her fourth match point after one hour and 40 minutes.Rybakina, the 2022 Wimbledon champion, is returning to a major final for the first time since the 2023 Australian Open title match. She said she was “super happy” with the way she managed her emotions during a tense second set when the Kazakh’s nerve shook and Pegula mounted a fightback.“It was an absolute battle,” said Rybakina, who fired 31 winners in her last-four victory.
Sabalenka’s start was far from flawless. She appeared tight early, pressing too hard in the opening games as Svitolina, the world No.12, came out swinging much like she did earlier in the tournament when she upset Mirra Andreeva and Coco Gauff. The 31-year-old relied on her defence when needed, knowing her best chance lay in taking risks and pushing Sabalenka behind the baseline.Tension flared in the fourth game when the two-time champion was handed a point penalty for hindrance. Sabalenka appeared to have grunted twice while returning from deep in the court, prompting an immediate call from Swedish chair umpire Louise Azemar Engzell. Though visibly unhappy with the decision, the top seed channelled her frustration into more aggressive, decisive tennis.“The ball was deep, the bounce was wrong, it just happened naturally,” Sabalenka said. “I think it was a wrong call. She really pi@##ed me off, and it actually benefited my game. I was more aggressive. I was not happy with the call, and it really helped me to get that game.”Saturday’s final will mark the 15th meeting between Sabalenka and Rybakina, with the Belarusian holding an 8-6 edge in their head-to-head. The pair met four times last year, splitting those encounters.Asked whether Rybakina hits harder than her, Sabalenka acknowledged the challenge posed by her 26-year-old opponent. “I think her shots are heavy, deep, flat balls,” she said. “It’s not easy to work with, but yeah, we have a great history. She’s an incredible player. We’ve had a lot of great battles, a lot of finals we played.”Sabalenka, a four-time major winner, enjoyed her breakthrough at this tournament in 2023 when she defeated Rybakina in the final, but insists that match has little bearing on what lies ahead.“I think I’m not going to fall back on that final, because me and her, we both are different players now,” said Sabalenka. “We went through different things. We’re much stronger mentally and physically, and we’re playing better tennis now.”“I will approach this as a completely different match,” she added, “as if it is the very first one we are playing, and I will do my very best.”
