By Richard Pagliaro | Monday, January 26, 2026
Photo credit: Australian Open Facebook
Building her aggression game-by-game, Aryna Sabalenka delivered desolation on a roasting Rod Laver Arena today.
Isolating Iva Jovic behind the baseline, Sabalenka hit the talented teenager right off the court rampaging through seven straight games in a 6-3, 6-0 destruction to charge into her fourth consecutive Australian Open semifinal.
On the hottest day of the tournament, the roof over Rod Laver Arena was open exposing both women to scalding heat. A searing Sabalenka played with urgency advancing to 14th career major semifinal, including her 12th final four appearance in her last 13 Grand Slam starts.
The top-seeded Sabalenka will play either third-seeded Coco Gauff or 12th-seeded Elina Svitolina for a spot in Saturday’s final. If Sabalenka meets Gauff it would be a rematch of the 2025 Roland Garros final that saw Gauff tame a whipping wind and temperamental Sabalenka to capture her second Grand Slam crown.
“These teenagers are testing me in the last couple of rounds,” said Sabalenka, who beat Jovic’s teenage doubles partner, Victoria Mboko, in the fourth round.. “Incredible player, it was a tough match. Don’t look a the score, it wasn’t easy at all. She played incredible tennis, pushed me to one step better level
“I’m super happy with the win. It was a tough battle.”
Striking the ball cleanly and fiercely, Sabalenka played her most complete match of the tournament raising her 2026 record to 10-0. Sabalenka has not surrendered a set this season and the three games she dropped today are the fewest she’s lost in any match of this Australian Open so far.
The four-time Grand Slam champion improved to 13-1 lifetime in Grand Slam quarterfinals.
The big-hitting Belarusian belted 31 winners—19 more than maiden major quarterfinalist Jovic—and won seven of eight trips to net.
The 18-year-old Jovic played a solid first set, but was overpowered by Sabalenka’s all-court prowess in the second set. Jovic is at her best straddling the baseline and redirecting the ball, but found herself persistently pushed further back behind the line by Sabalenka’s deep drives.
The 29th-seeded Jovic sailed a forehand long—her third forehand error of the game gave Sabalenka the break and a 2-0 lead.
Struggling to land first serves, Jovic paid the price as Sabalenka punished a forehand down the line for break point. Stepping into the court, Jovic saved it banging a backhand down the line. Sabalenka had a good look at the drop shot, but it clung on top of the tape before crawling back on her side of the net. The teenager navigated a near eight-minute hold to get on the board at 1-3.
Sabalenka slid her second ace to stamp the first love hold of the day and a 4-1 lead.
Down double break point in the sixth game, Jovic erased both break points including spinning a tricky forehand winner down the line. When Sabalenka shanked a wild forehand, Jovic held firm, fending off three break points, for 2-4.
The 2021 AO doubles champion cranked an ace down the T for 30-15. Jovic read the wide serve and slammed a forehand return down the middle to gain her first break point. Sabalenka scalded her second ace of the game to draw even at deuce. Pouncing on another second serve, Jovic again ripped a return right down the middle for break point No. 2.
On her third break point, Jovic attacked a second serve but her backhand clipped the tape, popped up in the air and plopped back on her side of the net.
Tension tightened as the longest game of the match continued amid searing 95-degree heat. On her third set point, Sabalenka flicked a slick backhand strike down the line—her 21st winner—wrapping a five-deuce, near 11-minute game to take a one set lead.
Sabalenka won five of six net points and redirected down the line at the right times.
Still, maiden major quarterfinalist Jovic stood toe-to-toe in several rousing rallies and earned those three break points in the final game of the first set. Three of the last four games of the set went to deuce.
Jovic showed she belonged, but let a forehand drive volley drop too low and netted it to face double break point. On her second break point, Sabalenka shredded a crosscourt backhand to open the second set with the break.
Seventy-minutes into a sweaty test, Sabalenka slid her fifth ace for a 6-4, 2-0 lead.
Former doubles No. 1 Max Mirnyi joined Sabalenka’s team as a co-coach last summer. The man nicknamed “Beast of Belarus” had to love what he saw when Sabalenka sprinted forward and blocked an exceptional Federer-esque half volley dropper for break point. Sabalenka slammed a heavy forehand gaining the double break for 3-0.
Rocketing a forehand winner down the line, Sabalenka stretched her lead to 4-0 with her second love hold of the day.
By then the edge had come off the Southern California teenager’s game. When Jovic floated a double fault deep, Sabalenka broke again for 5-0.
Two-time AO champion Sabalenka slammed an ace out wide sealing her fourth straight trip to the AO semifinal in stirring style.
