NBA

Strong rivalry: Sabalenka and Svitolina prepare for Australian Open semi-final

ballervisions 2026年1月28日

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) – Naturally there will be attention to the backstory when Aryna Sabalenka and Elina Svitolina meet in the women’s semifinals of the Australian Open.

Top-ranked Sabalenka, seeking a third title in four years in Australia, is a 27-year-old from Belarus. He is famous on TikTok for his funny posts and dances.

Svitolina is the 31-year-old Ukrainian who will return to the Top 10 next week for the first time since returning from maternity leave in 2022. He reached his first Australian Open semifinal with a win over No. 3 Coco Gauff, needing only 59 minutes to end his three quarterfinal losses at Messenger Park.

Both are frequently asked questions about Russia’s war in Ukraine. Both have always said that they want the focus to be on tennis. Svitolina is trying to bring joy to the people of Ukraine, of course. Sabalenka said she supports peace.

“It is very close to my heart to see the great support of the Ukrainian people,” he said. “So I feel like (I’m) bringing this light, a little light, you know, even good news to the people of Ukraine, to my friends if they’re watching.”

Ukrainian players do not shake hands with players from Russia or Belarus in the net after matches. It was accepted on both sides.

Both are on pace to make it 10 matches so far in 2026 and enter the first major tournament of the season with titles in warmup tournaments – Sabalenka in Brisbane, and Svitolina in Auckland, New Zealand, her 19th career title. That was Svitolina’s first return after the end of the 2025 season for mental health leave.

Sabalenka, who has 22 career titles including back-to-back Australian championships in 2023 and ’24 and back-to-back US Open victories in 2024 and last year, is 5-1 in career meetings with Svitolina. He made the top 4 in the top four for the 14th time, and has made the final seven times.

“It’s no secret that she is a very strong player. I watched a little bit of her (quarterfinal) match. She was playing good tennis, and I think, strength in all aspects of her game is her strength,” Svitolina said of Sabalenka. “He has a consistent form for me, I will have to … try to find ways and small holes, small opportunities in his game.

“When you play high-level players, you have to find these small opportunities and be ready to take them.”

Svitolina is making her fourth semifinal appearance at a major – 2019 and 2023 at Wimbledon and the 2019 US Open – and is aiming for her first final.

Sabalenka played in her quarterfinal against 18-year-old Iva Jovic before intense heat forced organizers to close the roof of the Rod Laver Arena on Tuesday. He was gone before Svitolina and Guaff played under the roof for the night. At that time, he did not know who he would play next, but he was sure that “it will be a battle.”

“Because whoever made it there, he’s an amazing player,” he said. “I think my approach will be the same, it doesn’t matter who I’m facing.

“I’m just going to go, and I’m going to focus on myself and my game.”

Rybakina-Pegula, 5 vs. 6

Sixth-seeded Jessica Pegula made it 4th in the final when she saw off fellow American Amanda Anisimova 6-2, 7-6 (1) to advance to the semifinals against 2022 Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina.

Pegula defeated 2025 champion Madison Keys in the previous round before ending Anisimova’s run to back-to-back Grand Slam finals.

Sixth seed Pegula is hoping to emulate Keys’ run here last year and claim her first Grand Slam title in Australia.

“I was waiting for the time when I would be able to break through,” said Pegula. “I feel like I’m playing good tennis here and I like the conditions.”

With a 7-5, 6-1 victory in the first round on Wednesday, Rybakina, the 2023 Australian Open runner-up, ended No. 2-ranked Iga Swiatek’s quest to complete her career Grand Slam – at least this year.

Rybakina, who was born in Russia but represents Kazakhstan, said she will focus on the lessons she took from the previous tour until finally deciding on a major.

“Now I’m calm. In the beginning, if it’s the first final and you get too far in the tournament, you’re just upset,” he said. Now I feel like I’m doing my job, I’m trying to improve each day. So it’s another day, another game.

_____