AO women’s finalists decided

No. 1 seed Aryna Sabalenka will meet No. 5 seed Elena Rybakina in the Australian Open final on Saturday, after both players won their respective semi-finals in straight sets.

Sabalenka beat Elina Svitolina 6-2 6-3 in a dominant performance while Rybakina beat Jessica Pegula 6-3 7-6 to set up a repeat of the tournament’s final in 2023 (The Guardian).

Sabalenka overcame a controversial hindrance call on the first point of the fourth game, where the chair umpire ruled her secondary grunt was late and disruptive, with a subsequent video review upholding the decision (The Age).

“I think it was the wrong call, but whatever,” said Sabalenka after the match. “How do I say [it] in a nice way? She really pissed me off, and it actually helped me and benefited my game. I was more aggressive.”

Saturday will mark Sabalenka’s fourth-straight Australian Open final and her seventh-straight grand slam hard court final (ABC).

The men’s final will be decided later today, with No. 2 seed Jannick Sinner taking on 24-time champion, No. 4 seed Novak Djokovic and No. 1 seed Carlos Alcaraz battling No. 3 seed Alexander Zverev (AO).