ELINA SVITOLINA STUNNED American third seed Coco Gauff to sail into an Australian Open semi-final against Aryna Sabalenka on Tuesday and inch closer to a maiden Grand Slam title.
The Ukrainian 12th seed kept her dreams alive with a 6-1, 6-2 demolition in 59 minutes under a closed roof on Rod Laver Arena, with Gauff’s serve imploding.
Svitolina’s reward is a clash with imperious world number one Sabalenka, after the Belarusian overpowered teenager Iva Jovic for the loss of just three games.
A decade older than Gauff at 31, former world number three Svitolina was playing her 14th Grand Slam quarter-final.
She had managed to press on to the semis only three times before, and never in Australia.
“Very, very pleased with the tournament so far,” said Svitolina, who is on a 10-match win streak after a title-winning run at Auckland this month.
Making the semi-finals will propel her back into the top 10.
“It’s always been my dream to come back after maternity leave to make the top 10. Always been my goal,” she said.
“It means the world to me. And of course I try to push myself, I try to give myself this motivation to continue. Very pleased with the performance at this tournament in Australia.”
Two-time Grand Slam champion Gauff’s serve deserted her, broken four times in the first set and twice in the second to leave her title aspirations in tatters.
She won just 41 percent of her first service points, while throwing in 19 unforced errors.
Gauff suffered from serving issues all tournament and was broken immediately.
Svitolina, with husband Gael Monfils watching on, failed to capitalise and conceded her serve as well, but Gauff then sent down two double faults at crucial moments to be broken yet again.
Clearly flustered, she was broken for third time, to love, as the Ukrainian raced to 5-1 with a fifth double fault of the match gifting Svitolina another break and the set in 29 minutes.
Gauff summoned a ball kid and asked for three racquets to be restrung, and left the court for a toilet break after the first set annihilation.
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But it didn’t help, broken for a fifth straight time to open set two.
She finally managed to hold on her sixth attempt, but there was no way back.
It is the first time Svitolina has reached the last four in Melbourne after quarter-final runs in 2018, 2019 and 2025.
She has made the semi-finals at Slams three times previously, most recently at Wimbledon in 2023.
Earlier, Aryna Sabalenka overcame searing heat and one of the most exciting talents in tennis to power into the Australian Open semi-finals on Tuesday, with Alexander Zverev serving up a storm to join her in the men’s tournament.
World number one Sabalenka tamed 18-year-old American Iva Jovic 6-3, 6-0 in 38C temperatures and faces either third seed Coco Gauff or 12th seed Elina Svitolina for a place in the final.
Last year’s runner-up Zverev sent down a barrage of 24 aces to crush another young United States player, Learner Tien, in four sets.
That match was played under the Rod Laver Arena roof as temperatures peaked at 43C outside.
The German third seed faces either world number one Carlos Alcaraz or home hope Alex de Minaur in the last four.
Sabalenka is aiming to win a third Australian Open in four years and looks in ominous form, yet to drop a set.
“These teenagers have been testing me in the last couple of rounds,” said Sabalenka, 27, who is on a 10-match win streak after victory in Brisbane this month.
“It was a tough match. Don’t look at the score, it wasn’t easy at all.
“She played incredible tennis. Pushed me to one step better level. And I’m super happy with the win.”
The match was played in fierce sun on Rod Laver Arena and just afterwards organisers closed the roof, meaning the other three quarter-finals on the day will take place in far more comfortable temperatures.
The decision came after the tournament hit its maximum “heat stress” rating of five for the second time in four days.
The measure is designed to protect players, fans and officials.
Play on outdoor courts, which were to host junior matches, were put on hold.
Temperatures reached 40C on Saturday, with matches on outside courts paused for about five hours.
Defeat brought an end to a breakthrough tournament for Jovic, the youngest player in the women’s top 100 and seeded 29.
She stunned seventh seed and two-time Slam finalist Jasmine Paolini and blitzed past experienced Yulia Putintseva for the loss of just one game to announce herself to the world.
But Sabalenka was a bridge too far.
“Ultimately I hope to be in many quarter-finals, so I don’t think that this win or loss today is going to make or break my career really,” said the confident teenager.
Alexander Zverev is desperate to finally win a Grand Slam at age 28, having been well beaten in last year’s title decider by Jannik Sinner.
“Without my aces I probably would not have won today,” Zverev said after seeing off the spirited challenge of Learner Tien. “Obviously very happy with my serve.”
At 29 in the world, the Californian Tien was the lowest-ranked player left in the men’s draw.
He was also the youngest at age 20 and was playing in the biggest match of his life, having never reached the last eight at a major before.
But he had few answers to Zverev’s booming serve, the German making only one double fault in the match — and that was on one of his match points.
The reprieve was only very temporary for Tien, who will surely come again.
Zverev and his serve await the winner of the last match of the day, when Alcaraz faces having to beat not just De Minaur but also a patriotic home crowd to make his first Australian Open semi-final.
The 22-year-old Spaniard has won six Grand Slams, but is yet to go past the last eight in Melbourne.
De Minaur has failed to make it past the quarter-finals at any Slam and is hoping the home fans can help him pull off an upset.
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Svitolina shocks third seed Gauff to book Melbourne semi with Sabalenka
LAST UPDATE | 44 mins ago
ELINA SVITOLINA STUNNED American third seed Coco Gauff to sail into an Australian Open semi-final against Aryna Sabalenka on Tuesday and inch closer to a maiden Grand Slam title.
The Ukrainian 12th seed kept her dreams alive with a 6-1, 6-2 demolition in 59 minutes under a closed roof on Rod Laver Arena, with Gauff’s serve imploding.
Svitolina’s reward is a clash with imperious world number one Sabalenka, after the Belarusian overpowered teenager Iva Jovic for the loss of just three games.
A decade older than Gauff at 31, former world number three Svitolina was playing her 14th Grand Slam quarter-final.
She had managed to press on to the semis only three times before, and never in Australia.
“Very, very pleased with the tournament so far,” said Svitolina, who is on a 10-match win streak after a title-winning run at Auckland this month.
Making the semi-finals will propel her back into the top 10.
“It’s always been my dream to come back after maternity leave to make the top 10. Always been my goal,” she said.
“It means the world to me. And of course I try to push myself, I try to give myself this motivation to continue. Very pleased with the performance at this tournament in Australia.”
Two-time Grand Slam champion Gauff’s serve deserted her, broken four times in the first set and twice in the second to leave her title aspirations in tatters.
She won just 41 percent of her first service points, while throwing in 19 unforced errors.
Gauff suffered from serving issues all tournament and was broken immediately.
Svitolina, with husband Gael Monfils watching on, failed to capitalise and conceded her serve as well, but Gauff then sent down two double faults at crucial moments to be broken yet again.
Clearly flustered, she was broken for third time, to love, as the Ukrainian raced to 5-1 with a fifth double fault of the match gifting Svitolina another break and the set in 29 minutes.
Gauff summoned a ball kid and asked for three racquets to be restrung, and left the court for a toilet break after the first set annihilation.
But it didn’t help, broken for a fifth straight time to open set two.
She finally managed to hold on her sixth attempt, but there was no way back.
It is the first time Svitolina has reached the last four in Melbourne after quarter-final runs in 2018, 2019 and 2025.
She has made the semi-finals at Slams three times previously, most recently at Wimbledon in 2023.
Earlier, Aryna Sabalenka overcame searing heat and one of the most exciting talents in tennis to power into the Australian Open semi-finals on Tuesday, with Alexander Zverev serving up a storm to join her in the men’s tournament.
World number one Sabalenka tamed 18-year-old American Iva Jovic 6-3, 6-0 in 38C temperatures and faces either third seed Coco Gauff or 12th seed Elina Svitolina for a place in the final.
Last year’s runner-up Zverev sent down a barrage of 24 aces to crush another young United States player, Learner Tien, in four sets.
That match was played under the Rod Laver Arena roof as temperatures peaked at 43C outside.
The German third seed faces either world number one Carlos Alcaraz or home hope Alex de Minaur in the last four.
Sabalenka is aiming to win a third Australian Open in four years and looks in ominous form, yet to drop a set.
“These teenagers have been testing me in the last couple of rounds,” said Sabalenka, 27, who is on a 10-match win streak after victory in Brisbane this month.
“It was a tough match. Don’t look at the score, it wasn’t easy at all.
“She played incredible tennis. Pushed me to one step better level. And I’m super happy with the win.”
The match was played in fierce sun on Rod Laver Arena and just afterwards organisers closed the roof, meaning the other three quarter-finals on the day will take place in far more comfortable temperatures.
The decision came after the tournament hit its maximum “heat stress” rating of five for the second time in four days.
The measure is designed to protect players, fans and officials.
Play on outdoor courts, which were to host junior matches, were put on hold.
Temperatures reached 40C on Saturday, with matches on outside courts paused for about five hours.
Defeat brought an end to a breakthrough tournament for Jovic, the youngest player in the women’s top 100 and seeded 29.
She stunned seventh seed and two-time Slam finalist Jasmine Paolini and blitzed past experienced Yulia Putintseva for the loss of just one game to announce herself to the world.
But Sabalenka was a bridge too far.
“Ultimately I hope to be in many quarter-finals, so I don’t think that this win or loss today is going to make or break my career really,” said the confident teenager.
Alexander Zverev is desperate to finally win a Grand Slam at age 28, having been well beaten in last year’s title decider by Jannik Sinner.
“Without my aces I probably would not have won today,” Zverev said after seeing off the spirited challenge of Learner Tien. “Obviously very happy with my serve.”
At 29 in the world, the Californian Tien was the lowest-ranked player left in the men’s draw.
He was also the youngest at age 20 and was playing in the biggest match of his life, having never reached the last eight at a major before.
But he had few answers to Zverev’s booming serve, the German making only one double fault in the match — and that was on one of his match points.
The reprieve was only very temporary for Tien, who will surely come again.
Zverev and his serve await the winner of the last match of the day, when Alcaraz faces having to beat not just De Minaur but also a patriotic home crowd to make his first Australian Open semi-final.
The 22-year-old Spaniard has won six Grand Slams, but is yet to go past the last eight in Melbourne.
De Minaur has failed to make it past the quarter-finals at any Slam and is hoping the home fans can help him pull off an upset.
– © AFP 2026
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