28/01/2026

SPORTS WEDNESDAY | JAN 28, 2026

28

Svitolina stuns Gauff to sail into semis ELINA SVITOLINA stunned American third seed Coco Gauff to sail into an Australian Open semifinal against Aryna Sabalenka yesterday and inch closer to a maiden Grand Slam title. The Ukrainian 12th seed kept her dreams alive with a 6-1, 6-2 demolition in 59 minutes under a closed roof on Rod Laver Arena, with Gauff’s serve imploding. Svitolina’s reward is a clash with imperious world No. 1 Sabalenka, after the Belarusian overpowered teenager Iva Jovic for the loss of just three games. A decade older than Gauff at 31, former world No. 3 Svitolina was playing her 14th Grand Slam quarterfinal. She had managed to press on to the semis only three times before, and never in Australia. “Very, very pleased with the tournament so far,” said Svitolina, who is on a 10-match win streak after a title-winning run at Auckland this month. Making the semifinals will propel her back into the top 10.“It’s always been my dream to come back after maternity leave to make the top 10. Always been my goal,” she said. “It means the world to me. And of course I try to push myself, I try to give myself this motivation to continue. Very pleased with the performance at this tournament in Australia.” Two-time Grand Slam champion Gauff’s serve deserted her, broken four times in the first set and twice in the second to leave her title aspirations in tatters. She won just 41% of her first service points, while throwing in 19 unforced errors. Gauff suffered from serving issues all tournament and was broken immediately. Svitolina, with husband Gael Monfils watching on, failed to capitalise and conceded her serve as well, but Gauff then sent down two double faults at crucial moments to be broken yet again. Clearly flustered, she was broken for third time, to love, as the Ukrainian raced to 5-1 with a fifth double fault of the match gifting Svitolina another break and the set in 29 minutes. Gauff summoned a ball kid and asked for three racquets to be restrung, and left the court for a toilet break after the first set annihilation. But it didn’t help, broken for a fifth straight time to open set two. She finally managed to hold on her sixth attempt, but there

Sabalenka juggernaut rolls on

ARYNA SABALENKA handed 18-year old American Iva Jovic a comprehensive 6-3, 6-0 defeat in the quarterfinals at a sweltering Melbourne Park yesterday to remain on course for a third Australian Open title in four years. The world No. 1, champion in 2023 and 2024 and runner-up last year, will meet Elina Svitolina for a place in Saturday’s title match. “These teenagers have been testing me in the last couple of rounds,” said Sabalenka, who defeated Canadian 19 year-old Victoria Mboko in the previous round. “Don’t look at score, it wasn’t easy at

or break her career and that it was a dream just to make the quarterfinals. “When you play players like Aryna, who are obviously very powerful and hit a big ball and don’t let you really get into the match from the beginning, you have to accept that and adjust to that tempo of points,” Jovic told reporters. “You can’t really choose how it’s going to play. You have to accept that it’s going to be quick-fire and it’s going to be short. Then you have to kind of match that extreme almost. “For me, I was kind of just trying to drift a little bit in the middle. So that obviously doesn’t work. Now I know for next time.” – Reuters

year-old firing a cross-court winner beyond Jovic to break serve in the opening game. “In the second set I felt like I had to step in and put even more pressure on her, because I can see that she’s young, she’s hungry,” Sabalenka said. “I could tell during the match that no matter what’s the score, she’s still going to be there, trying and trying to figure (out) her way.” That put the four-times Grand Slam champion firmly in command and she would go on to convert another pair of break points to move ominously into the last four. Jovic said the result would not make

all. She played incredible tennis, pushed me to one step better level. It was a tough battle.” Sabalenka made a blistering start, racing into a 3-0 lead in the opener and Jovic was made to work by the Belarusian to hold her serve in the fourth game to gain a foothold in the set. The teenager, appearing in her first Grand Slam quarterfinal, used her speed around the court to frustrate her more experienced opponent, although Sabalenka eventually closed out the first set in just under an hour. Sabalenka was even more dominant in the second set, the 27

Alcaraz tames De Minaur Spanish world No. 1 storms into maiden Melbourne last four and date with Zverev C ARLOS ALCARAZ swept into the Australian Open semifinals for the first time yesterday and a clash with Alexander Zverev to take a step closer He took that momentum into the third set and stepped it up another notch. He grabbed a 3-0 lead in less than 20 minutes on his way to a ruthless win, sealing it with his fifth ace. Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz in action during his quarterfinal match against Australia’s Alex De Minaur (not pictured) in Melbourne yesterday. – REUTERSPIC

to tennis history. The Spanish world No. 1 silenced a partisan Melbourne crowd in brushing aside outclassed home hope Alex de Minaur 7-5, 6-2, 6-1 at Rod Laver Arena. The 22-year-old Alcaraz is yet to drop a set as he arrows in on a maiden Australian Open crown. “I’m just really happy how I’m playing every match, each round my level is increasing,” he said, in a warning to his rivals. “Today I felt really comfortable, playing great tennis that I am really proud of,” added Alcaraz, who had never previously gone beyond the quarterfinals in Australia in four previous visits. The Australian Open is the only Grand Slam that Alcaraz has not won. Should he beat Zverev and then win Sunday’s final, he would surpass compatriot and legend Rafael Nadal as the youngest man to win all four majors. Nadal was 24 when he did it. Top seed Alcaraz started like a train against the Australian sixth seed, who has reached the last eight of all the Grand Slams – and still never gone further. In a topsy-turvy opening set, the six-time major champion Alcaraz raced into a 3-0 lead, only for De Minaur to rattle off three games in a row for 3-3, to roars of approval. A pumped-up Alcaraz stopped the rot and forged a 5-3 lead, but then squandered the chance to close out the set and was broken. They were at 5-5 when Alcaraz ramped up the intensity to win the next two games and take the set, De Minaur left kicking himself for fail ing to take his chances. The 26-year-old Australian paid the price, Alcaraz punishing him to seize the second set in 44 minutes.

Earlier, German third seed Zverev sent down 24 aces in a 6 3, 6-7 (5-7), 6-1, 7-6 (7-3) victory over Learner Tien of the United States to book his last-four spot. “I have seen him throughout the whole tournament and I know he is playing great, aggres sive tennis,” Alcaraz said of Zverev. “I have to be ready, not just me but my whole team as well. We

need to play tactically really well, it’s going to be a great battle.” Today, 10-time Melbourne champion Novak Djokovic faces Italy’s fifth-seeded Lorenzo Musetti in the quarterfinals. The winner will face either two-time defend ing champion Jannik Sinner or

United States eighth seed Ben Shelton in the semifinals. – AFP

Zverev confident success will come ALEXANDER ZVEREV will go into the Australian Open semifinals relishing being injury-free for the first time in a year as he con tinues his quest for a first Grand Slam title hav ing seen off Learner Tien in yesterday’s quar terfinals.

was no way back. It is the first time Svitolina has reached the last four in Melbourne after quarterfinal runs in 2018, 2019 and 2025. She has made

“I have to schedule better. My schedule looks very different this year after the Australian Open,” he said. “So it’s a learning process. It’s also learning that your body is maybe get ting a bit older. It’s maybe getting a bit more fatigued through matches. “Whoever I’m going to play in the semis, they’re great players. You just are looking forward to a fantastic match. That’s what you are looking forward to. “In my case, I’m still chasing that desired slam. Of course, I still want to achieve that, but I also want to enjoy my tennis. Right now I’m doing that, and that’s the most important thing for me.” – Reuters

certain pain and aches, and when you are feel ing like you can’t do every single move freely, it’s just tiring also mentally for you. “Then you maybe don’t go for your shots as much. You maybe don’t rely on your body as much. “But also, I’ve worked on my game. I’ve worked on my aggressive game. I’ve been talk ing about it. I’ve worked on my first shots after the serve, my first forehand after the serve, maybe a bit more serve and volleying as well. “If those things work for me, then I think success will come as well.” Zverev intends to reduce the number of events he plays this year and is focused on get ting more enjoyment from the sport, includ ing at what remains of the Australian Open.

the semifinals at Slams three times previously, most recently at Wimbledon in 2023. – AFP

The German third seed, who lost last year’s final to Jannik Sinner, beat the 20-year-old American 6-3, 6-7(5), 6-1, 7-6(3). Zverev endured a series of shoulder, back and ankle injuries throughout 2025 but the 28-year-old says he is now in good health. “I think being pain-free is the biggest change that I’ve had in the last 12 months,” said Zverev. “It’s a constant struggle. When you are deal ing with injuries, when you are dealing with

Elina Svitolina. – AFPPIC