Aryna Sabalenka progresses to the semifinals of the 2026 Australian Open.
MELBOURNE, Australia — Top-seeded Aryna Sabalenka triumphed over 18-year-old American Iva Jovic with a score of 6-3, 6-0 on Tuesday, advancing to the semifinals at the heat-impacted Australian Open.
The match at Rod Laver commenced with the roof open as Melbourne faced heat warnings, with temperatures projected to exceed 104 Fahrenheit (40 Celsius). The roof remained open for this match but was closed for the subsequent men’s quarterfinal featuring Alexander Zverev and American Learner Tien.
Sabalenka, aiming for her third Australian Open title in four years, surged to a 3-0 lead in the first set, asserting her control early against the 29th-seeded Jovic. However, Jovic remained competitive in the set, earning three break point opportunities in the ninth game, which extended for 10 minutes.
Sabalenka quickly established a 5-0 advantage in the second set with two breaks, diminishing any momentum from the young American. Jovic struggled towards the end of the match, committing a double fault on break point that allowed Sabalenka to secure her 5-0 lead.
In the concluding game, Sabalenka delivered an ace on break point and sealed the match with another ace on match point. She successfully saved all five break points she encountered and recorded seven aces.
Sabalenka previously defeated 19-year-old Canadian Victoria Mboko to set up her match against another teenager.
“These teenagers have tested me in the last couple of rounds — incredible player,” Sabalenka remarked about Jovic in a post-match interview.
“It was a tough match,” Sabalenka continued. “Don’t look at the score, it wasn’t easy at all. She played incredible tennis and she pushed me to a one-step better level. It was a battle.”
Sabalenka claimed victory in 2023 and 2024 and was the runner-up last year to Madison Keys, who was eliminated from the tournament on Monday by fellow American Jessica Pegula.
Jovic, born in California, is the daughter of parents who immigrated to the United States. Her father is Serbian and her mother Croatian, and Jovic has been receiving guidance from Serbian star Novak Djokovic.
Sabalenka now awaits the winner of the Tuesday evening quarterfinal between third-seeded Coco Gauff and Elina Svitolina.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Source: espn.com
