Elina Svitolina stuns Coco Gauff to set up semi-final against Aryna Sabalenka
Elina Svitolina celebrates after defeating Coco Gauff (Asanka Brendon Ratnayake/AP)
Elina Svitolina stunned Coco Gauff to set up an Australian Open semi-final against world number one Aryna Sabalenka.
Ukrainian Svitolina needed just 59 minutes to swat aside an out-of-sorts Gauff 6-1 6-2 and she is through to the last four at Melbourne Park for the first time at the age of 31.
It will be the fourth grand slam semi-final of Svitolina’s career and the second since she returned to the tour following the birth of daughter Skai in 2022, with the former world number three making an emotional run at Wimbledon the following year.
The match was played under the roof on Rod Laver Arena, with the extreme heat that saw temperatures hit the mid 40s not having dropped far enough for outdoor play.
With husband Gael Monfils supporting from the sidelines, Svitolina produced a strong display of consistent tennis, but she was given more than a helping hand by Gauff, whose tally of three winners compared to 26 unforced errors told its own story.
The American has struggled since winning her second grand slam title at the French Open last year, particularly with her serve, and she was filmed behind the scenes repeatedly smashing her racket after the loss.
Svitolina was the latest player to take a break at the end of last season for mental health reasons but she began this year by winning the WTA tournament in Auckland and will now return to the top 10.
She said: “I’m very pleased with the tournament so far and it’s always been my dream to come back after maternity leave in the top 10. Unfortunately it didn’t happen last year but I told my coach this was my goal for this season.
“It means the world to me. I try to push myself, to give myself this motivation to continue.”
Svitolina is yet to go further than the semi-finals at a major and, if she is to end that here, she will have to get the better of Sabalenka, who ended the teenage challenge in Melbourne with an emphatic quarter-final final victory over Iva Jovic and is yet to drop a set.
Having defeated 19-year-old Victoria Mboko in the fourth round, the world number one dropped just three games against 18-year-old American Jovic in a 6-3 6-0 victory.
The scoreline was harsh on the youngster, who was very competitive in the points but time and again came out on the wrong end of games.
It has nevertheless been a breakthrough tournament for Jovic, who only celebrated her birthday last month, and she will hit the top 20 for the first time next month.
“These teenagers are testing me in the last couple of rounds,” said Sabalenka, who has now reached at least the semi-finals at 12 of the last 13 grand slams she has contested.
“She’s an incredible player, it was a tough match – don’t look at the score, it wasn’t easy at all. I’m super happy with the win, it was a tough battle.”
It was the hottest day in Melbourne for 17 years, and Sabalenka did not have the benefit of the roof, which only closed as she was conducting her post-match interview.
The AO Heat Stress Scale is above 5.0. Play and practice is suspended on outside courts. The roofs on RLA and MCA are now closed and will remain closed as per the AO Extreme Heat Protocols. If onsite, please seek shade and apply cooling strategies. Ground Pass holders can… — #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) January 27, 2026
“At the end of the match, it was really hot out there,” said the 27-year-old. “I’m glad they closed the roof almost halfway so we had a lot of shade in the back.”
Sabalenka added with a smile: “I guess, as a woman, we are stronger than the guys, so they had to close the roof for the guys so they don’t suffer.
“I knew going into this match that they won’t let us play in crazy heat. If it would reach the five, they would definitely close the roof, so I knew that they were protecting us, our health. It’s OK. I’m happy that I managed.”
Organisers had reworked the schedule in anticipation of the heat, with the start of the wheelchair draws postponed until Wednesday and junior matches beginning at 9am.
The later junior matches were scheduled for the evening, and all the day matches had finished before the most serious heat rules were implemented, with the heat stress scale hitting the cut-off mark of five just before 1.30pm.
The scale takes into account air temperature, radiant heat, humidity and wind speed to determine when conditions are safe for players.
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