Melbourne, Jan 29, 2026 (AFP) - Umpire call fired up Sabalenka in politically charged Melbourne clash

NAMPA / AFP

2026-01-29

Belarusian Aryna Sabalenka said that an umpire call against her for grunting helped fire her to victory over Ukraine's Elina Svitolina on Thursday in a politically charged Australian Open semi-final. There was no handshake afterwards as top-ranked Sabalenka triumphed 6-2, 6-3 to roll into a fourth Melbourne final in a row. She faces Kazakh fifth seed Elena Rybakina for her third Melbourne title. It denied the 12th-seeded Svitolina a piece of hist......

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