Aryna Sabalenka

The world No. 5 won her first Grand Slam semifinal in four tries—and extended her record in sets this season to 20-0. Elena Rybakina awaits.

Though Linette saved three to stay in the match, Sabalenka made no mistakes on serve, converting her fourth to clinch a career milestone. 16 Anett Kontaveit, No. Australian Open Semifinal Previews: Elena Rybakina vs. “It was great tennis from me in the tiebreak.” Sabalenka, who won the Australian Open women's doubles title with Elise Mertens in 2021, carried an 0-3 record in Grand Slam singles semifinals, having lost them all in heartbreaking three-setters. She raced through the first six points and allowed only the briefest of respites from the Pole to clinch the opening set in just under an hour. “She was moving really well, putting everything back,” Sabalenka explained. “It's good that I kind of broke through in the semifinals, but there is one more match to go. Victoria Azarenka; Aryna Sabalenka vs. 1 in Australia, and No. Sabalenka is a compelling battle for No. Australian Open

Sabalenka, who is ranked No. 5 in the world, defeated her Polish counterpart in a game that lasted just over one hour and 30 minutes and will now face Elena ...

It was great tennis from me on the tie-break. But the Belarusian is in fine form, and she is yet to drop a single set in the Australian Open Sabalenka will now face Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina (above) in the final on Saturday [Wimbledon](/sport/wimbledon/index.html) champion Elena Rybakina in the final after she beat Victoria Azarenka 7-6 (7-4) 6-3 earlier on Thursday. - She will now face Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina in the final on Saturday [Aryna Sabalenka](/sport/aryna-sabalenka/index.html) reached the [Australian Open](/sport/australian_open/index.html) final after beating Magda Linette 7-6 (7-1) 6-2.

MELBOURNE, Australia — It will be strength against strength and power against power in the Australian Open women's singles final on Saturday.

She has beaten three straight Grand Slam singles champions to reach this final: Iga Swiatek, Jelena Ostapenko and Azarenka, a 33-year-old Belarusian who won the Australian Open in 2012 and 2013. Sabalenka is seeded fifth and Rybakina 22nd, but that does not tell the whole tale. And yet her inconsistency and combustibility have, until now, kept her from reaching the top. But after losing her first three Grand Slam singles semifinals, she is now into her first final. “It was great tennis from me in the tiebreak.” The outcomes were strong. Both have lifted their games to new levels since then. The year’s first Grand Slam event runs from Jan. Rybakina, 23, is a quiet intimidator: her big serves and rolling, deep groundstrokes applying constant pressure. Rybakina is self-contained and difficult to read, maintaining an even keel throughout her matches. In this Australian Open, 16 to Jan.

Sabalenka beat Magda Linette 7-6 (1) 6-2 to reach her first grand slam singles final.

After Rybakina saw off Victoria Azarenka, Sabalenka reached her first grand slam singles final with a 7-6(1) 6-2 victory over unseeded Pole Magda Linette.

I didn't start really well and in the tie-break I found my rhythm, started trusting myself and going for my shots." But there Sabalenka was untouchable, opening up a 6-0 lead, and in the second set she was simply too strong for Linette, who has enjoyed a breakthrough grand slam at the age of 30. It was to Linette's credit that, playing in the biggest match of her life, she did not allow herself to be completely overpowered and held her serve to force a first-set tie-break.

The women's 2023 Australian Open final is set: Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus will take on Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan after the two each won their semifinal ...

Saturday's contest is, after all, Sabalenka's first singles title match at a Grand Slam tournament. Rybakina is more familiar with this stage: She won ...

But Sabalenka reworked the mechanics on her serve during a five-day session less than a month before the U.S. ... Just less negative emotions.” Rybakina rarely lets so much as the slightest trace of emotion show, even when she clinched the championship at the All England Club. It’s a style that evokes the way the Williams sisters went about winning when they began to transform the sport — and rather different from the way the current No. It’s a significant development for someone who struggled mightily with double-faulting last year, accumulating nearly 400 over the course of the season, including more than 20 in some matches. Sabalenka is a 24-year-old from Belarus; Rybakina is a 23-year-old who was born in Moscow and began representing Kazakhstan in 2018 when that country offered to fund her tennis career. “If you’re going to start trying to do something about that, it’s going to become bigger, you know?” She is seeded No.