Elina Svitolina dominated in a 59 minute semifinal match to eliminate Coco Gauff from the 2026 Australian Open, winning with a 6-1, 6-2 victory. The Ukrainian’s sharp returning, steady baseline play, and relentless pressure proved too much for the third-seeded American, whose hopes of a first Australian Open title were dashed once again.
Svitolina seized control from the start, overwhelming Gauff with clean shot-making, finishing with 12 winners, while keeping her own mistakes in check with only 16 unforced errors. Gauff, by contrast, struggled to find any rhythm, committing 26 errors and managing just a handful of winners. Her serve faltered badly, with five double faults and no aces, and she was broken repeatedly as Svitolina surged ahead.
After the match, Gauff acknowledged her opponent’s level and her own inability to respond. “She played really well,” she said. “Unfortunately, usually when people raise their level, I’m able to raise mine. Today, I just didn’t do that. I have to figure out how not to do that again.” Gauff admitted she had difficulties across all aspects of her game, from groundstrokes to returns, but emphasized that Svitolina’s aggressive approach forced many of the errors. Following the handshake at the net, cameras captured Gauff venting her frustration backstage by smashing her racket against a concrete surface. She later addressed the incident, saying, “I tried to go somewhere where there were no cameras,” adding that she prefers not to break rackets publicly and wants to set a positive example. “I broke one racket [at the] French Open, I think, and I said I would never do it again on court because I don’t feel like that’s a good representation.”
The loss marked another early exit for Gauff in Melbourne. Despite her Grand Slam successes at the U.S. Open and French Open, the Australian Open remains her toughest major, with a 2024 semifinal appearance still standing as her best result. This year’s defeat also reduced the American presence in the women’s draw, leaving the winner of the all-U.S. quarterfinal between Jessica Pegula and Amanda Anisimova as the lone hope for a semifinal spot.
Svitolina, 31, now advances to her first Australian Open semifinal and the fourth Grand Slam semifinal of her career. It also marked a milestone in her comeback journey following maternity leave, after welcoming her daughter in 2022 and returning to the tour in 2023. Her strong run in Melbourne will push her back into the world’s top 10, a goal she had set after stepping away late last season due to fatigue. “I’m very pleased with the way I’ve been playing, not only in this match, but in the tournament overall,” Svitolina said. “I’m just very happy to be in the semifinalist finally after so many years here, so many tries.”
Standing in her path is world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka, who cruised past American teenager Iva Jovic 6-3, 6-0 earlier in the day. Sabalenka, a two-time Australian Open champion, is aiming to reclaim the title after falling short in last year’s final and remains one of the tournament’s clear favorites.
The remaining women’s semifinalists will be determined by the matchups between Iga Swiatek and Elena Rybakina, and the all-American duel between Pegula and Anisimova. The winners of those contests will meet for the chance to face either Sabalenka or Svitolina in the championship match.
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