The women’s semifinals will take place at the Australian Open on Thursday, starting with Aryna Sabalenka vs. Elina Svitolina. Elena Rybakina and Jessica Pegula do not have dates for their unification match.
(1) Aryna Sabalenka vs. (12) Elina Svitolina
Can Svitolina pull this off despite being a heavy underdog? His current form suggests he can. The 31-year-old Ukrainian is 10-0 so far in 2026 and 20-1 in complete sets. Her season-opening run included a title in Auckland and straight-set victories at the Australian Open over Mirra Andreeva and Coco Gauff.
Sabalenka leads the head-to-head series 5-1 heading into Thursday’s semifinals. World No. 1 won four in a row, although their Rome 2024 meeting went to a third-set tiebreaker. Sabalenka is 10-0 this year, with a title in Brisbane and no sets dropped so far in Melbourne. The Belarusian should improve, but this will be his toughest test of the two days so far.
Choose: Sabalenka in 3
(6) Jessica Pegula vs. (5) Elena Rybakina
The second semi-final on Thursday should be a good one, as both players are in outstanding form. Rybakina, who wrapped up last year by winning the WTA Finals, was never pushed even in the playoffs at Melbourne Park. Pegula is 8-1 this season and hasn’t lost a single set in five rounds at the Aussie Open. The world No. 6 is coming off particularly impressive back-to-back wins over defending champion Madison Keys and world No. 4 Amanda Anisimova.
The head-to-head series is tied at 3-3. Pegula leads 3-1 on hard outdoor courts, but Rybakina has won their last two meetings on aggregate – 6-4, 6-1 at the 2025 Billie Jean King Cup and 4-6, 6-4, 6-3 a few months later at the WTA Finals. The fourth-placed Kazakh may have the edge in the pressure moments because they can win free-kicks with the biggest game, but this should be interesting.
Pick: Rybakina at 3
