No one should want to play Aryna Sabalenka in the land of Oz. The Belarusian has ruled over the Australian Open for nearly a half-decade, and that reign doesn't seem to be coming to a close anytime soon. She is trying to take the title back she lost in 2025, though, and it won't be easy.
Sabalenka dominated her semifinal match with Elina Svitolina 6-2 6-3, and the WTA No. 1 was on her game from the beginning. Her pace and pressure were too much for the Ukrainian, as Sabalenka had 19 winners in the first set alone. At her best, she is likely unmatched by any other current player on a hard court.
The second set was not much closer. Sabalenka powered 10 more winners to finish with 29. Svitolina had just 12 in the match. But the Belarusian was playing exceedingly clean tennis as well. She had just 15 unforced errors, while the Ukrainian was in the negative, finishing with 17 unforced errors.
Aryna Sabalenka will take on Elena Rybakina in the 2026 Australian Open final
While Sabalenka didn't have an ace, she only double-faulted once. She was broken just once, while breaking Svitolina four times. If she continues to play as well as she has in her current 11-match win-streak, the Australian Open final might not be close, either. That shouldn't be expected, however.
Sabalenka will face longtime nemesis Elena Rybakina. The Kazakhstani defeated Jessica Pegula in straight sets 6-3 7-6(7) to reach her second final in Melbourne. She lost to Sabalenka in the 2023 final.
The all-time head-to-head between the two players is tight. Sabalenka leads 8-6, but the players have alternated beating each other over the last nine matches. The last time they met was in the 2025 WTA Finals, and Rybakina won that in straight sets. If the Aussie Open final holds form, Sabalenka will take her third title in four years.
She is only the third woman in the Open era to reach four straight finals at the Australian Open. The others were Evonne Goolagong and Martina Hingis. Aryna Sabalenka has a ways to go to match the all-time record for Australian Open titles, though. If she beats Rybakina on Saturday in Melbourne, she will have her third title. Serena Williams leads everyone with seven Aussie Open titles.