Aryna Sabalenka on path to Australian Open revenge following 'completely flawless' semi-final win

Aryna Sabalenka has put herself on a path towards Australian Open revenge after putting herself into another final.

The world No.1 was ruthless in her semi-final against Elina Svitolina, winning 6-2, 6-3 in straight sets.

"Sabalenka utterly dominant tonight ... a comprehensive victory, as comfortable as the scoreline suggests," Sam Smith said on Nine.

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Alicia Molik also described her as "completely flawless".

Sabalenka won the 2024 event but lost last year's final to Madison Keys.

The world No.1 was enormous with her winners, hitting 29 in total and taking four out of seven break points. Svitolina could only finish one out of four break points.

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Post-match, Jelenka Dokic told Sabalenka it was her fourth consecutive AO final, which triggered a mind blown reaction.

"I cannot believe that, that's an incredible achievement but the job's not done yet," she said.

"I'm super happy with the win, she's a tough opponent and was playing incredible tennis throughout the whole week and I'm just super happy to be through this tough match."

Sabalenka's four straight finals makes her the second woman to do it since Martina Hingis.

Dokic told her this then asked how proud a 10-year-old Sabalenka would be of her right now.

"I don't know, I'm sensitive right now," she said.

"I think she would be just super proud I was able to make it here. I would never think I'd be able to make it to the top 10 and be this consistent and play in these big arenas in front of you all with all the support.

"It's the dream life, everyday I'm grateful for what I have ... I hope she would be proud of me."

Sabalenka now has the chance to add to her four grand slam singles titles and will play Elena Rybakina.

* The following is AI-generated 'What If' analysis that examines the most pivotal points in the match. It was provided courtesy of Infosys

One point From a different story: Svitolina's semi-final heartbreak

What if Elina Svitolina had stretched just a few inches further on that opening game break point, her racquet finding the 175 km/h serve that screamed wide into the Melbourne twilight?

Standing at 15-40 in the very first game of this Australian Open semi-final, the Ukrainian had done everything right, constructed the point, applied the pressure, forced Aryna Sabalenka to the precipice of an early deficit.

One conversion, and the narrative of this match might have been written in entirely different ink.

Instead, Svitolina watched helplessly as the ball blazed past her outstretched frame, and with it vanished the ghost of a 1-0 lead that would never materialise.

The cruel mathematics of tennis had already begun their unforgiving calculations.

The first set became a study in missed opportunities and mounting frustration. At 2-1 down, Svitolina found herself dragged to three deuces on her own serve in the fourth game, each one a small death, each one a door that refused to stay open.

The 12-shot rally at 15-15 had already signaled danger - Sabalenka's relentless ball-striking slowly suffocating her rhythm like a python tightening its coils.

When the break finally came, handing the Belarusian a 3-1 cushion, something more than points transferred across the net: belief.

Svitolina's defensive prowess, her legendary court coverage that had carried her through countless battles, suddenly felt insufficient against the sheer violence of Sabalenka's groundstrokes.

By the time she pushed the seventh game to a deuce at 4-2 down, the set was already slipping away like water through cupped hands.

The second set offered a tantalizing glimpse of resurrection. Svitolina surged to a 2-0 lead, her movement sharper, her returns finding depth, the Rod Laver Arena crowd beginning to sense an improbable comeback.

But what if she had broken again in that third game, pushing to 3-0 and forcing Sabalenka to confront the specter of a deciding set? Instead, the Belarusian steadied herself in a clinical four-point hold, and from that moment, the avalanche began.

Five consecutive games would follow, each one burying Svitolina's hopes deeper beneath the weight of Sabalenka's power.

The double fault at deuce in the sixth game - that cruelest of self- inflicted wounds -epitomized the Ukrainian's afternoon: fighting valiantly, covering 829 meters of hard court, sprinting six times to balls that lesser competitors would have conceded, yet ultimately undone by margins measured in inches and milliseconds.

As Sabalenka sealed the 6-2, 6-3 victory, Svitolina was left to contemplate the butterfly effects of a semi-final that hinged on moments too small to see but too significant to forget. One converted break point in the opening game. One held serve at 2-1 in the second set. One fewer double fault when the pressure peaked.

The statistics told their own story - 1 of 4 break points converted against Sabalenka's 4 of 7 - but numbers could never capture the heartbreak of a competitor who had given everything and found it wasn't quite enough.

In the unforgiving theater of grand slam tennis, Elina Svitolina had played her part with courage and conviction, only to discover that against Aryna Sabalenka on this Melbourne evening, even her best was destined to fall just short of the final.