Aryna Sabalenka vs Elina Svitolina Tips, Prediction & Live Stream - Sabalenka to make fourth straight AO final

Andrew Hendrie

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Last updated: Wed 28 Jan 2026 22:50

Andrew Hendrie 28 Jan 2026

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Aryna Sabalenka vs Elina Svitolina predictions for Thursday's Australian Open semi-final
Sabalenka has been dominant in Australia over the last few years, winning 43 of her last 45 matches in the country
Sabalenka backed for a straight sets victory, continuing a trend of one-sided AO victories
The match is scheduled to start at 7.30pm AEDT on Thursday January 29

Expired

Aryna Sabalenka (Photo by Getty Images)

Aryna Sabalenka vs Elina Svitolina Tips, Prediction & Live Stream

World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka is aiming for her fourth consecutive Australian Open final when she comes up against Elina Svitolina in the semi-finals on Thursday night.

Aryna Sabalenka vs Elina Svitolina Tips, Prediction & Live Stream
Sabalenka vs Svitolina Stats & Trends
Sabalenka vs Svitolina Head To Head
Aryna Sabalenka Form Analysis
Elina Svitolina Form Analysis
Sabalenka vs Svitolina Live Stream

Sabalenka and Svitolina have been the two form players to launch 2026 - they both come into this blockbuster semi-final showdown with identical 10-0 records for the season, winning Brisbane and Auckland titles respectively to open the year. Sabalenka is as dominant as ever, crushing teenager Iva Jovic in the quarter-finals for the loss of just three games, while in yet another comparison between the pair, Svitolina also lost just three games in a straight sets demolition of Coco Gauff.

It sets up a potentially mouth-watering semi-final encounter inside Rod Laver Arena, but the key word there is potentially. You've got to respect everything Svitolina is doing since returning from maternity leave, making her way back into the top 10 and playing some of the best tennis of her career right now in Melbourne. However, Sabalenka is just a different beast. She's won 25 of her last 26 Australian Open matches and 43 of her last 45 matches in Australia overall. She's built different down under. The top seed has an outstanding recent record in major semi-finals and Svitolina has never made a Grand Slam final. I'm backing another straight sets victory for Sabalenka as she gives herself another shot at AO glory.

Sabalenka vs Svitolina Stats & Trends

Sabalenka has won 25 of her last 26 Australian Open matches
Sabalenka has won 23 of those 25 matches in straight sets
Sabalenka has won 43 of her last 45 matches in Australia
Sabalenka has won six of her last seven Grand Slam semi-finals
Sabalenka has won all 10 matches she's played in 2026 in straight sets
Sabalenka has won five of her six previous meetings with Svitolina
Three of the last four wins for Sabalenka over Svitolina have been in straight sets
Svitolina is 0-3 in Grand Slam semi-finals
Svitolina hasn't beaten a No. 1 ranked player on hardcourt since 2017

Sabalenka vs Svitolina Head To Head

Sabalenka leads 5-1, but they've only played once on hardcourt since 2018.

Year	Tournament	Round	Surface	Winner	Score
2025	Mutua Madrid Open	Semifinal	Clay	Aryna Sabalenka	6–3, 7–5
2024	Cincinnati Open	Round of 16	Hard	Aryna Sabalenka	7–5, 6–2
2024	Internazionali BNL d'Italia (Rome)	Round of 16	Clay	Aryna Sabalenka	4–6, 6–1, 7–6(7)
2023	Roland Garros	Quarterfinal	Clay	Aryna Sabalenka	6–4, 6–4
2020	Internationaux de Strasbourg	Semifinal	Clay	Elina Svitolina	6–2, 4–6, 6–4
2018	Wuhan Open	Round of 32	Hard	Aryna Sabalenka	6–4, 2–6, 6–1

Aryna Sabalenka Form Analysis

2026 Record: 10-0
Australian Open Record: 33-6
Grand Slam Record: 105-26
Current Ranking: No. 1
Career-High Ranking: No. 1

Road to Australian Open semi-finals

Round	Opponent	Score
1st Round	Tiantsoa Rakotomanga Rajaonah	6–4, 6–1
2nd Round	Zhuoxuan Bai	6–3, 6–1
3rd Round	Anastasia Potapova	7–6(4), 7–6(7)
4th Round	Victoria Mboko	6–1, 7–6(1)
Quarter-Final	Iva Jovic	6–3, 6–0

Sabalenka has powered her way into a fourth consecutive Australian Open semi-final and eighth consecutive Grand Slam semi-final, with only Martina Hingis and Lindsay Davenport matching that record since 1988.

After sweeping the Brisbane title to launch the year, Sabalenka has continued her momentum in Melbourne, advancing to the final four without dropping a set.

The two-time Australian Open champion was made to work hard in the third round against Anastasia Potapova, requiring two tiebreaks to edge it, while Victoria Mboko put up a tough fight in the second set of their R16 clash before Sabalenka prevailed 6-1 7-6.

Sabalenka was in a ruthless mood in the quarter-finals against 18-year-old Iva Jovic, bulldozing past the teenager 6-3 6-0, firing 31 winners and winning 30 of 36 points behind her first serve. Sabalenka's 143 winners for the tournament is the most of any player.

Elina Svitolina Form Analysis

2026 Record: 10-0
Australian Open Record: 34-12
Grand Slam Record: 113-47
Current Ranking: No. 12
Career-High Ranking: No. 3 (2017)

Road to Australian Open semi-finals

Round	Opponent	Score
1st Round	Cristina Bucsa	6–4, 6–1
2nd Round	Linda Klimovicova	7–5, 6–1
3rd Round	Diana Shnaider	7–6(4), 6–3
4th Round	Mirra Andreeva	6–2, 6–4
Quarter-Final	Coco Gauff	6–1, 6–2

Svitolina's run to the final four in Melbourne has been just as dominant as Sabalenka's, sweeping aside all of her opponents to give herself another chance at major glory.

After citing a need "to heal and recharge" and cut short her 2025 season, Svitolina has exploded out of the blocks in 2026, collecting her 19th career title in Auckland and now reaching her first Australian Open semi-final.

The Ukrainian has been especially dominant in her last two rounds, conquering two top 10 opponents in Mirra Andreeva and Coco Gauff for a combined loss of just nine games.

Svitolina needed just 59 minutes to dispatch reigning French Open champion Gauff 6-1 6-2, striking 12 winners to three and forcing her opponent into a barrage of errors. The 31-year-old will now return to the top 10 in the latest rankings and is aiming to reach a first Grand Slam final after three previous semi-final eliminations.

Sabalenka vs Svitolina Live Stream

Watch and bet on Aryna Sabalenka vs Elina Svitolina live Australian Open tennis.

You can watch and bet on the match live at Unibet > Tennis > Australian Open with the action available to stream on desktop and mobile.

Geo-restrictions apply, you'll need a funded account or to have placed a bet in the last 24 hours to gain access. 18+ terms and conditions apply.

Verdict

Aryna Sabalenka v Elina Svitolina

Svitolina's form needs to be respected, but Sabalenka is just on another level, especially at the Australian Open and at this stage of a slam. Backing the top seed in straights.