Aryna Sabalenka ended the teenage challenge at the Australian Open with an emphatic quarter-final final victory over Iva Jovic.
Having defeated 19-year-old Victoria Mboko in the fourth round, the world number one dropped just three games against 18-year-old American Jovic in a 6-3 6-0 victory.
The scoreline was harsh on the youngster, who was quite competitive in many points but time and again came out on the wrong end of games.
It has nevertheless been a breakthrough tournament for Jovic, who only celebrated her birthday last month, and she will hit the top 20 for the first time next month.
"These teenagers are testing me in the last couple of rounds," said Sabalenka, who has now reached at least the semi-finals at 12 of the last 13 grand slams she has contested.
"She's an incredible player, it was a tough match – don’t look at the score, it wasn’t easy at all. I’m super happy with the win, it was a tough battle."
With the hottest day in Melbourne for 17 years forecast and temperatures set to reach around 45C, efficiency was of the essence for Sabalenka, who is yet to drop a set.
Things might have become more complicated had she not clinched the opening set in a long ninth game, saving three break points before clinching her third set point.
After that, she did not lose another game, and the roof closed on Rod Laver Arena as Sabalenka conducted her post-match interview, with the tournament’s heat stress scale hitting the cut-off mark of five shortly before 1.30pm.
"At the end of the match, it was really hot out there," said the 27-year-old. "I’m glad they closed the roof almost halfway so we had a lot of shade in the back."
Sabalenka added with a smile: "I guess, as a woman, we are stronger than the guys, so they had to close the roof for the guys so they don’t suffer.
"I knew going into this match that they won’t let us play in crazy heat. If it would reach the five, they would definitely close the roof, so I knew that they were protecting us, our health. It’s OK. I’m happy that I managed."
2018, lost to Mertens
— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) January 27, 2026
2019, lost to Osaka
2025, lost to Keys
𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟔, 𝐝𝐞𝐟. 𝐆𝐚𝐮𝐟𝐟
Elina Svitolina, you are an AO semifinalist 👏@wwos @espn @tntsports @wowowtennis #AO26 pic.twitter.com/p59iG69Bvw
Sabalenka will next face Elina Svitolina after the Ukrainian stunned Coco Gauff to reach the semi-finals.
Svitolina needed just 59 minutes to dismiss an out-of-sorts Gauff 6-1 6-2 and she is through to the last four at Melbourne Park for the first time at the age of 31.
It will be the fourth grand slam semi-final of Svitolina's career and the second since she returned to the tour following the birth of daughter Skai in 2022, with the former world number three making an emotional run at Wimbledon the following year.
With husband Gael Monfils supporting from the sidelines, Svitolina produced a strong display of consistent tennis, but she was given more than a helping hand by Gauff, whose tally of three winners compared to 26 unforced errors told its own story.
The American has struggled since winning her second grand slam title at the French Open last year, particularly with her serve, and she was filmed behind the scenes repeatedly smashing her racket after the loss.
Svitolina was the latest player to take a break at the end of last season for mental health reasons but she began this year by winning the WTA tournament in Auckland and will now return to the top 10.
She said: "I’m very pleased with the tournament so far and it’s always been my dream to come back after maternity leave in the top 10. Unfortunately it didn’t happen last year, but I told my coach this was my goal for this season.
"It means the world to me. I try to push myself, to give myself this motivation to continue."
Following her off-court outburst, Gauff said: "I tried to go somewhere where there was no cameras. Certain moments – the same thing happened to Aryna after I played her in the final of the US Open – I feel like they don't need to broadcast.
"So maybe some conversations can be had, because I feel like, at this tournament, the only private place we have is the locker room."
Gauff had no regrets about her actions, saying: "I don’t want to lash out on my team. They’re good people. They don’t deserve that, and I know I’m emotional. So I just took the minute to go and do that.
"I don’t think it’s a bad thing. I try not to do it on court in front of kids and things like that, but I do know I need to let out that emotion."
