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 in Melbourne. Dabrowski and Stefani, the fifth seeds, were leading 3-1 in the final set but lost the following four games. Despite narrowing the gap to one with an unforced error, they were overpowered by four consecutive winners from Danilina and Krunic. Dabrowski and Stefani capitalized on four out of their eight break opportunities and served four aces with two double faults. On the other hand, Danilina and Krunic broke on four out of their six chances, complemented by three aces and one double fault. The seventh seeds outperformed their opponents with 31 winners compared to 27.
Aryna Sabalenka continued her dominance by defeating Elina Svitolina 6-2, 6-3, advancing to her fourth consecutive Australian Open final. With a strong performance, Sabalenka is one win away from securing her third Australian Open title in four years. The upcoming final will be a rematch of the 2023 final against Elena Rybakina, who defeated Jessica Pegula 6-3, 7-6 (7) in the second semifinal. Despite a tough battle, Rybakina managed to secure victory after missing multiple match points and facing a resilient opponent. All four players reached the semifinals without dropping a set, marking a historic achievement in Australian Open history. Sabalenka maintained her winning streak by hitting 19 winners and breaking Svitolina’s serve twice in the first set, ultimately finishing with 29 winners to Svitolina’s 12.
During Sabalenka’s match against Svitolina, a hindrance call was made in the fourth game due to Sabalenka’s prolonged grunt after a shot. Despite the interruption, Sabalenka regained her focus, broke Svitolina’s serve, and controlled the match. Reflecting on the hindrance call, Sabalenka mentioned that it initially aggravated her but eventually motivated her to play more aggressively. Svitolina, after an impressive run to the semifinals, expressed disappointment but acknowledged the challenge of facing the world No. 1 player. Despite the loss, Svitolina highlighted the positives of her recent performances and expressed determination to carry on the momentum throughout the season.