Australian Open 2026 Women’s Day 10

Aryna Sabalenka hammered over a sixth ace on match point to close out a 6-3, 6-0 win over teenaged Iva Jovic to book the Australian Open semi-finals for the fourth edition in a row on a sweltering Tuesday,

Less than an hour after the quarter-final rout by the two-time tournament champion, the event’s heat protocols were put into place, suspending play on outside courts and closing the roof on showcourts as temps hit 38 Celsius on the way into the mid-40s.

“At the end of the match, it was really hot out there. I’m glad they kind of
closed the roof almost halfway so we had a lot of shade in the back,” the winner said.

Sabalenka will bid for the final against Elina Svitolina after the Ukrainian humiliated third seed Coco Gauff  6-1, 6-2 in less than an hour.

The 45th defeat of a top 10 player over the course of her career sends Svitolina back into the ranking top 10 as she booked her first semi-final in Melbourne after losing a quarter-final a year ago to eventual champion Madison Keys..

“My goal for this season was to return to the top 10,” Svitolina said. two years after giving birth. “I’m very pleased with the tournament so far.

“This means the world to me. I will try to push myself even farther with this motivation. I’m pleased with the performance – this has been a good trip for me.”

The 31-year-old gave away a decade to Gauff, a two-time Grand Slam winner who’s game collapsed in the one-way quarter-final which included 26 unforced errors off her racquet. 

Gauff held serve for the first time 45 minutes into the rout and exited as she lost serve for the sixth time.  . 

World No.1 Sabalenka is bidding to return to the title match of the event she won in 2023 and 2024 before losing the final a year ago to Madison Keys,

The top seed schooled her 18-year-old opponent, youngest to reach the quarters here since Nicole Vaidisova in 2007; and the youngest to do so without dropping a set since Venus Williams in 1998

Victory took 90 minutes, with Sabalenka producing 30 winners and breaking four times while saving all five against her serve.

“These teenagers have tested me in the last couple of rounds,” the 27-year-old winner said after defeating 19-year-old Canadian Victoria Mboko in the previous round.

“Don’t look at the scoreline, this match was not that way at all. She pushed me hard and forced me to play at a better level.

“I’m super happy I won,it was such a tough battle.”

Sabalenka was playing her 13th consecutive quarter-final at a Grand Slam and will remain atop the WTA rankings despite any outcome in Melbourne.

“I could see that she’s young, she’s hungry, and that no matter what’s the score, she’s still going to be there trying and trying to figure her way.

“I knew I had to step in and show the level and the class. That helped me go for my shots and to trust my game. It was definitely an amazing performance in the second set.”.