ME𓃲LBOURNE, Australia — Defending champion Aryna Sabalenka avenged a U.S. Open finals loss to Coco Gauff in a straight-set semifinal win Thursday, becoming the first woman since Serena Williams to reach back-to-back finals at the🦂 Australian Open.
Sabalenka attacked Gauff’s serve with her powerful returns and unloaded 33 winners in the 7-6 (2), 6-4 victory that extended her winning streak to 13 matches at Melbourne 🌌Park.
“I was just ready for anything tonight,” Sabalenka said. “I was able to focus on myself.”
She will 🦩meet Zheng Qinwen or Dayana Yastremska in Saturday’s championship decider.
Zheng and No. 93-ranked Yas🦂tremska, a qualifier from Ukraine, were playin🐲g their first ever Grand Slam semifinal.
Sabalenka was back in the semis for the fifth straight major, a run that started here in Australia last year in her Grand Slam breakthrough. She’s the first since reach consecutive finals here since Williams did in 2015, ’16 and ’17.
Gauff went into the semifinals unbeaten in 2024 after winning a title in A𒆙uckland, Ne𒀰w Zealand.
The 19-year-old American was on a 12-match winning streak in majo♕rs and attempting to be the first player since Naomi Osaka in 2020-21 to win the U.S. Open and Australian Open titles back to back🐲.
She’d worked out how to beat Sabalenka in New York last September to win her first major title, but didn’t have the answers this time against the only player in the final four with semifinal experience in Australia.
The first set cಞontained six serv꧅ice breaks, with both players missing opportunities to serve it out.
Sabalenka led 5-2 and missed a set point as Gauff held firm and went on a four-game roll to take a 6-5 lead. Gauff also couldn’t serve it out, with Sabalenka’s booming returns continuing to ﷺcause her trouble.
In the tiebreaker, Sabalenka raced to 5-1. Chants of “Coco, Coco” went up around Rod Laver Arena but they didn’t help Gauff.
Almost a half-hour after her first set point, Sabalenಞka got five more. She clinched on the secওond of those with a big serve out wide.
Gauff won points on just three of her 17 second serves in the first set, and that 𝓀made her push harder and led to six double-faults.
The second se🅠t was tight, until Sabalenka got a service break i💛n the ninth game.
She missed her first match point when Gauff saved with a forehand wi🐻nner to end a 12-shot rally.
An ✨ace down the middle earned a second match point and Sabalenka clinched it after 1 hour,ꦿ 42 minutes.
After the match, Sabalenka acknowledged tennis greats in the crowd including Bil🍬lie Jean King and Evonne Goolagong Cawley, who was celebrating the 50th anniversary of her first Australian Open title.
“I couldn’t dream (of) playing in front of you,” Sabalenka said. “Thank you for everything you’ve done for our sport. It’s a privilege to pဣlay in front of you.”
She signed a towel during her post-match interview that will be auctioned, with proceeds going to ch🐻ildren and women affected by domestic violence.
In doubles, 43-yeಌar-old Rohan Bopanna and Matthew Ebden advanced to their seꦬcond consecutive Grand Slam men’s final by beating Zhang Zhizhen and Tomas Machac 6-3, 3-6, 7-6 (7).
Tournament officials said Bopanna and Ebden, at a combinꦆed age of 79 yea𝓡rs, will become the oldest No. 1 pairing in tennis history after the tournament.
Bopanna an෴d Eb🍨den, ranked second in men’s doubles, lost to Rajeev Ram and Joe Salisbury in the U.S. Open final last September.
In🐬 Saturday’s final, they’ll play Italian pair Simone Bolelli and Andrea Vavassori.