The Australian Open 2026 has delivered consistency rather than chaos, but as the tournament reaches its pointy end, Melbourne Park is primed for a spectacular final weekend.
Four of the women’s game’s most established performers will take centre stage on Thursday night, while Friday’s men’s semi-finals appear to be steering inexorably toward a dream championship showdown. Familiar faces, heavyweight shot-making and Grand Slam pedigree dominate the landscape as the first major of the year reaches boiling point.
Sabalenka marches on, Svitolina dares to dream
World No.1 Aryna Sabalenka has been nothing short of ruthless. She has faced five opponents at AO 2026 and none have managed to take a set. The two-time defending champion has barely blinked on her way to a fourth consecutive Australian Open semi-final.
Perhaps most astonishing has been her nerve under pressure. Sabalenka has now won 20 consecutive Grand Slam tie-breaks, surpassing a record previously held by Novak Djokovic- a testament to her growing composure on the sport’s biggest stages.
Standing in her way is Elina Svitolina, a player who arrives brimming with belief. The Ukrainian has transferred her Auckland title-winning form seamlessly to Melbourne, producing some of the best tennis of her post-maternity comeback. Clinical victories over Mirra Andreeva and Coco Gauff in the second week have underlined her resurgence.
Svitolina has beaten world No.1s seven times before, but never on a stage quite like this. A win on Thursday would propel her into a maiden Grand Slam final- a remarkable achievement and a powerful source of inspiration for a nation she carries proudly on her shoulders.
To do it, however, she must withstand Sabalenka’s relentless pace. As American teenager Iva Jovic noted after her quarter-final loss, Sabalenka gives opponents little choice but to accept the speed and ferocity of her tennis. Matching it for long enough is the real challenge.
Prediction: Sabalenka Wins
Pegula’s precision meets Rybakina’s firepower
The second semi-final promises a fascinating contrast in styles. Jessica Pegula has quietly produced her most complete Australian Open campaign to date, dropping no sets and dismantling some of the tour’s most dangerous ball-strikers along the way.
Victories over defending champion Madison Keys and Amanda Anisimova showcased Pegula’s tactical intelligence and composure in key moments. She has been calm, controlled and relentlessly efficient- a player operating at the peak of her strategic powers.
Elena Rybakina, though, brings a different kind of threat. The 2022 Wimbledon champion has looked utterly at home on Melbourne’s hard courts, her serve and first-strike tennis doing much of the damage. Her quarter-final performance against Iga Świątek was a statement, turning a tight opening set into a commanding straight-sets victory.
The head-to-head between the pair is finely balanced at 3–3, adding another layer of intrigue. Pegula’s craft and court sense versus Rybakina’s raw firepower shapes as a genuine toss-up, though the Kazakh’s serve could prove decisive under the lights.
Prediction: Rybakina Wins
Also Read: Top 4 Tennis Players With the Strongest Mental Game
Men’s draw points toward a heavyweight finale
On the men’s side, the narrative feels increasingly inevitable. According to SEN Tennis expert Brett Phillips, the stars are aligning for a Carlos Alcaraz versus Jannik Sinner final- the matchup many have been expecting since the draw was released.
Alcaraz, yet to drop a set, faces Alexander Zverev in Friday’s first semi-final. While their head-to-head stands level at 6–6, the Spaniard has won three of their last four meetings and appears to possess too much variety and firepower when it matters most.
Prediction: Alcaraz Wins
The second semi-final pits two-time defending champion Sinner against Novak Djokovic. Despite Djokovic’s experience and freshness, his quarter-final escape- aided by Lorenzo Musetti’s injury- raised questions. Sinner, by contrast, has been ruthless, winning his last five matches against Djokovic and looking every bit the dominant force of men’s tennis alongside Alcaraz.
Presiction: Sinner Wins
Australian Open 2026 semifinals: Schedule
Women’s Singles
Thursday, January 29
The night session kicks off at 7:30 PM.
| Matchup | Time (Approx.) |
| Aryna Sabalenka [1] vs. Elina Svitolina [12] | 7:30 PM |
| Elena Rybakina [5] vs. Jessica Pegula [6] | ~9:30 PM |
Men’s Singles
Friday, January 30
The men’s matches are traditionally split between a day and night session.
| Matchup | Time (Approx.) |
| Alexander Zverev vs. Carlos Alcaraz | 2:30 PM |
| Novak Djokovic vs. Jannik Sinner | 7:30 PM |
