Canada’s Gabriela Dabrowski and Brazil’s Luisa Stefani faced a defeat of 7-6 (2), 3-6, 6-4 against Kazakhstan’s Anna Danilina and Serbia’s Aleksandra Krunic in the women’s doubles semifinals at the Australian Open held in Melbourne. Dabrowski and Stefani, who were the fifth seeds, initially led 3-1 in the final set before losing the subsequent four games. Despite reducing the gap to one point with an unforced error, they were outclassed by Danilina and Krunic who secured victory with four consecutive winners. The match saw Dabrowski and Stefani converting on four out of eight break opportunities and serving four aces with two double faults, while Danilina and Krunic broke four out of six times, accompanied by three aces and one double fault. The seventh seeds recorded 31 winners compared to their opponents’ 27.
Meanwhile, Aryna Sabalenka continued her dominant performance by defeating Elina Svitolina 6-2, 6-3, advancing to her fourth consecutive Australian Open final. Sabalenka, the top-ranked player, showcased her prowess by breaking Svitolina’s serve twice in the first set and finishing with 29 winners to Svitolina’s 12. The upcoming final will be a rematch of the 2023 final against Elena Rybakina, who triumphed over Jessica Pegula in a closely contested match. Both Sabalenka and Svitolina had been on 10-match winning streaks after securing titles in the warm-up events. Sabalenka’s victory marked her as the third woman in the Open era to reach four consecutive singles finals at the Australian Open, joining the ranks of Evonne Goolagong and Martina Hingis.
In a noteworthy incident, Sabalenka faced a hindrance call during the fourth game due to a prolonged grunt, which resulted in a point penalty. Despite the distraction, Sabalenka regrouped and broke Svitolina’s serve in that game, eventually dominating the match. Reflecting on the hindrance call, Sabalenka expressed initial surprise but admitted that it fueled her aggression, leading to a more assertive performance. Svitolina, on the other hand, after reaching her first Australian Open semifinal and a title win in New Zealand, will return to the top 10 ranking, marking a significant achievement following a maternity break in 2022 and a mental health hiatus in 2025. Despite the loss, Svitolina acknowledged Sabalenka’s exceptional form and expressed gratitude for her recent successes, aiming to carry the positive momentum forward in the upcoming season.