The women’s singles semifinals are on Thursday evening in Melbourne.
For the first time in the Open Era, all four women’s singles semifinalists have advanced to this stage of a Major without dropping a set. The first semifinal sees two-time champion Aryna Sabalenka take on Elina Svitolina, who is vying for her first Major final. The second semifinals sees 2024 US Open runner-up Jessica Pegula go up against 2022 Wimbledon champ Elena Rybakina.
Plus, the men’s and women’s doubles semifinals will all be contested on Thursday.
Aryna Sabalenka (1) vs. Elina Svitolina (12) – 7:30pm on Rod Laver Arena
This is a sixth consecutive Major semifinal for Sabalenka, and after going 1-5 in her first six Slam semis, she’s now claimed six of her last seven. At the last six hard court Majors, Aryna is 6-0 in semifinals. Sabalenka thumped 18-year-old Iva Jovic in the quarterfinals, by a score of 6-3, 6-0.
Svitolina also dropped just three games in the last round, during her dominant performance over two-time Major singles champ Coco Gauff. This is a fourth Major semi for Elina, and her first in Melbourne, though she is yet to reach a final. The 31-year-old has enjoyed an excellent start to 2026 after shutting down her 2025 season early to take a mental health break from the sport. Svitolina is a perfect 10-0 this year, after winning the title in Auckland earlier this month
But Sabalenka is also 10-0 this year, having won a title in Brisbane. And she is 5-1 against Svitolina, with her only loss coming six years ago on clay. As impressive as Svitolina has been this fortnight, Sabalenka is the clear favorite on Thursday, as her power is extremely hard to overcome when she’s in strong form like this.
Jessica Pegula (6) vs. Elena Rybakina (5) – Last on Rod Laver Arena
Pegula is the definition of a “late bloomer.” She didn’t reach the second week of a Major until the age of 26, and then went 0-6 in her first six Major quarterfinals. However, Jess has now won her last three, as she plays for her second Major final. One of her coaches, Mark Knowles, shared with ESPN how Pegula spent the off-season working on her serve and variety. Significant improvements in both of those elements were on display on Wednesday against Amanda Anisimova, as I’ve never seen Pegula hit her spots on her serve as well as she did in that quarterfinal.
But no one’s serve on the WTA tour is more formidable than Rybakina’s. Through five rounds, she’s struck 35 aces, and only five double faults. This is a fourth Major semifinal for Elena, a round in which she is 2-1 previously. She has played with confidence and composure in Melbourne, most notably taking out Iga Swiatek in the last round.
These players have split six previous meetings, all on hard courts. However, Rybakina took both of their 2025 encounters, which occurred this past September in the Billie Jean King Cup Finals, and this past November in the WTA Finals. Rybakina should be favored to advance, but I’m curious to see how this enhanced version of Pegula matches up against her in what I expect will be a close semifinal.
Thursday’s full Order of Play is here.
