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Sabalenka storms into final after grunting penalty spat
The Guardian
|January 30, 2026
Aryna Sabalenka has dared officials to penalise her again for grunting after she rumbled over the top of Elina Svitolina to reach her fourth straight final at Melbourne Park.
Aryna Sabalenka will meet old rival Elena Rybakina in the final
The world No 1 suppressed the Ukrainian's mid-match momentum in a 6-2, 6-3 victory in just 77 minutes on Rod Laver Arena thanks to a dominant display of power tennis.
Sabalenka said she was wary given Svitolina’s impressive run and had wanted to play aggressively. "I felt like I had to step in and push as much pressure as I could back on her, and I’m glad the level was there today," she said on court, before adding that while she was proud to have progressed to the final against the fifth seed Elena Rybakina without dropping a set: "The job is not done."
The match swung her way in the fourth game when she broke Svitolina the first of four times. But it started in unusual fashion when the umpire, Louise Engzell, awarded a point to Svitolina for hindrance, after Sabalenka unleashed an unusual scream midpoint.
This story is from the January 30, 2026 edition of The Guardian.
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