Iga Swiatek's pursuit of a career Grand Slam will have to wait another year. The No. 2-ranked women's player couldn't overcome the dominant serve of Elena Rybakina on Tuesday, falling in the quarterfinals at the 2026 Australian Open.
The match truly came down to Rybakina's serve, as she registered 11 aces during the contest. Despite getting her first serve in only 49% of the time, Rybakina executed when it mattered. She won 79% of the time on her first serves and 63% of the time on her second serves. She had three double faults, but those didn't stop her from winning the match in straight sets (7-5, 6-1) over Swiatek.
Sealed in style 🔥Elena Rybakina is through to her 4th career Grand Slam semifinal!#AO26pic.twitter.com/a4E7w9Yau6
— wta (@WTA)January 28, 2026
The win marks the second time Rybakina has reached the semifinals at the Australian Open. She made it as far as the final back in 2023, but has never won the event. The win also pushed Rybakina's head-to-head record vs. Swiatek to 6-6.
With the loss, Swiatek is still in pursuit of a victory at the Australian Open. She's won every other major, but has only reached as far as the semifinals at the Australian Open. The 24-year-old will try to complete her career Grand Slam next year.
Followingher win early Wednesday, American Jessica Pegula will take on Rybakina in the semifinals Thursday. The two have faced each other six times, and have gone 3-3 in those matches. The other semifinal match, which will also take place Thursday, features women's No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka vs. women's No. 12 Elina Svitolina.
Jannik Sinner eliminates Ben Shelton
For the third straight year, Ben Shelton's run at the Australian Open has ended at the hands of Jannik Sinner. The 24-year-old Italian dispatched Shelton in straight sets (6-3, 6-4, 6-4) Wednesday.
With the win, Sinner advanced to the semifinals at the Australian Open for the third-straight year. He won the event in both 2024 and 2025, and is looking for his third straight victory at the Australian Open.
Jannik Sinner, unstoppable, unplayable, and into the#AO26semis 👏💯@wwos•@espn•@tntsports•@wowowtennis•#AO26pic.twitter.com/vmYJrqRul7
— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen)January 28, 2026
With the loss, Shelton now has just one win in 10 matches vs. Sinner. The American has played his best tennis at the Australian Open, where he held a 79% winning percentage entering Wednesday's match, but Sinner continues to be a huge barrier for Shelton's success at the event.
If Sinner is hoping for a three-peat, he'll need to step up his game in the final two matches. The top-four ranked men have all advanced to the semifinals, though one of them got there by unconventional means. That would be Sinner's next opponent, Novak Djokovic, who was down 0-2 against Lorenzo Musetti before Musetti wasforced to retire due to an injury.
Sinner and Djokovic have squared off 10 times, with Sinner holding a slight 6-4 advantage over Djokovic in those meetings.
