Melbourne, Jan 29 : World No.1 Aryna Sabalenka continued her golden run in the ongoing Australian Open 2026 as she registered a dominant 6-2, 6-3 straight-sets win against Ukraineâ??s Elina Svitolina in the womenâ??s singles semi-final at Rod Laver Arena on Thursday.

Sabalenka was in complete control from the start and needed just over an hour to seal her place in the final. This is the fourth consecutive time she will play in the Australian Open final.

The Belarusian used her power and strong serving to keep Svitolina under constant pressure and did not give a single chance of a comeback as she marched closer towards her third Australian Open title.

Sabalenka won 67 per cent of her points on the first serve and also won 79 per cent on the second serve, showing the one-sided nature of the match.

Svitolina struggled to match Sabalenkaâ??s pace and consistency. The Ukrainian won just 56 per cent of points on her first serve and 50 per cent on her second. She also committed three double faults during the match.

The top seed converted four of her seven break-point chances, while allowing Svitolina only one break from four opportunities. Sabalenka also edged her opponent in total points won. The two-time champion won 65 points as compared to the 46 won by Svitolina.

"An incredible achievement, but the job is not done yet," said Sabalenka on the court after the match.

"Super happy with the win. She is such a tough opponent. I have been watching her game. She played incredibly throughout the tournament, and I felt like I had to step in and put as much pressure as I could back on her, and I am glad the level was there today. I played great tennis and am happy to get the win in straight sets," she added.

Sabalenka, who lost the 2023 final to Madison Keys, will face either Elena Rybakina or Jessica Pegula for the title on Saturday in Melbourne.

/IANS