Elina Svitolina has made it to the semifinals of the Australian Open and is one step away from a new personal record at the Grand Slam level – reaching the final round of a major.
Since the start of the 2026 Australian Open, Svitolina has won five matches without dropping a set at a major. In the quarterfinals, Elina defeated world number three Coco Gauff 6-1, 6-2.
Svitolina's opponent in the final match will be world number one Arina Sabalenka. If Elina defeats the “neutral” world ranking leader, she will set a new personal record – for the first time in her career, she will play for one of the Grand Slam titles.
Sabalenka is a historically awkward opponent for Svitolina: the Ukrainian has lost five of their six head-to-head matches, including both of their meetings on hard court. Elina's only victory over the Belarusian came on the French soil of Strasbourg in September 2020.
Svitolina — Sabalenka: head-to-head results
- Wuhan (2018): 1:2 (4:6, 6:2, 1:6)
- Strasbourg (2020): 2:1 (6:2, 4:6, 6:4)
- Roland Garros (2023): 0:2 (4:6, 4:6)
- Rome (2024): 1:2 (6:4, 1:6, 6:7(7))
- Cincinnati (2024): 0:2 (5:7, 2:6)
- Madrid (2025): 0:2 (3:6, 5:7)
Svitolina and Sabalenka's only Grand Slam head-to-head match took place at Roland Garros 2023. REUTERS/Clodagh Kilcoyne
In total, Svitolina played 15 matches against the world's top players – six different tennis players. The Ukrainian managed to defeat four of them in at least one match – Elina won seven matches, including six of them in a row during 2016-2017.
Svitolina played against Sabalenka as the world's number one once – in the semifinals of the tournament in Madrid in 2025, where she lost in straight sets. Elina's last victory over the ranking leader was in the quarterfinals of Wimbledon 2023 against Iga Sviontek.
Sabalenka remains one of the two top players Svitolina has failed to beat in head-to-head matches. The Ukrainian also lost three matches to Australian Ashleigh Barty, who retired in 2022.
All of Svitolina's victories over the world's top players
- 2016 (Olympic Games): Serena Williams
- 2016 (Beijing): Angelique Kerber
- 2017 (Brisbane): Angelique Kerber
- 2017 (Federation Cup): Angelique Kerber
- 2017 (WTA Finals): Simona Halep
- 2017 (Rome): Simona Halep
- 2023 (Wimbledon): Iga Šviontek
“This will be another big challenge,” Svitolina was quoted as saying by “Great Tennis of Ukraine” before the match with Sabalenka. “Of course, I'm one step away from the final, but it's important for me to focus on recovery, on tactical moments that I'll have to work on tomorrow.”
Like Svitolina, Sabalenka has not dropped a set this season, and her winning streak is nine matches in a row. In the quarterfinals, the “neutral” top seed confidently defeated American Iva Jovic — 6:3, 6:0.
“Of course, it's no secret that [Sabalenko] is a very powerful tennis player. I watched her match a little bit today: she showed great tennis, I think the strength in all aspects of her game is her advantage. She has been very consistent in recent years in everything she does on the court.”
“I'll need to be ready for that, try to find ways, little gaps and opportunities in her game. Of course, when you're playing against top tennis players, you need to find those little opportunities and be ready to take them.”
Since the start of the Australian Open, Svitolina has already beaten two “neutrals” from the top 25 — Diana Schneider and world number seven Mirra Andreeva — and extended her winning streak over them to four games, which has been going on since July 2025.
Svitolina's match against Sabalenka is scheduled for Thursday, January 29. The exact start time of the game will be determined later.
Elina Svitolina: what is known about the athlete
- The Ukrainian tennis player, born in Odessa, represents Kharkiv at international competitions.
- Svitolina played her first official match at the ITF tournament level in 2008, and made her debut in the main draw of WTA tournaments in 2012 in Baku.
- Main achievements: bronze medalist at the 2020 Olympics, 18-time WTA tournament champion.
- The highest position in the WTA ranking is 3rd place (September 2017).
Elina Svitolina's Grand Slam performance statistics
- Australian Open: 29 wins – 12 losses. Best result – quarterfinals (2018, 2019 and 2025).
- Roland Garros: 33 wins – 12 losses. Best result – quarterfinals (2015, 2017, 2020, 2023, 2025).
- Wimbledon: 20 wins – 10 losses. Best result – semi-finals (2019 and 2023).
- US Open: 24 wins – 11 losses. Best result – semifinals (2019).
All of Elina Svitolina's WTA titles
- Final tournament (1-1): title (2018) — final (2019)
- Elite Trophy (0-1): final (2016)
- WTA 1000 (4-0): Dubai (2017), Rome (2017, 2018), Toronto (2017)
- WTA 500 (2-1): Brisbane (2018), Dubai (2018) — final (Connecticut, 2016)
- WTA 250 (11-1): Baku (2013, 2014), Rabat (2015), Kuala Lumpur (2016), Taipei (2017), Istanbul (2017), Monterrey (2020), Strasbourg (2020, 2023), Chicago (2021), Rouen (2025) — final (Auckland, 2024).