Elina Svitolina produced a ruthless performance to dismantle third seed Coco Gauff in just 59 minutes, securing a dominant 6-1, 6-2 victory to book her place in the Australian Open semi-finals.
The Ukrainian 12th seed overwhelmed a below-par Gauff on Rod Laver Arena, capitalising on the American’s serving struggles to deliver one of the most one-sided quarter-final matches of the tournament.
Svitolina will now face world number one Aryna Sabalenka in the last four, after the Belarusian cruised past teenage qualifier Iva Jovic, dropping only three games.
At 31, Svitolina is enjoying a remarkable resurgence and continues to edge closer to a maiden Grand Slam title. The former world number three, who was competing in her 14th Grand Slam quarter-final, has now reached the semi-finals of a major for the fourth time and for the first time in Melbourne.
“Very, very pleased with the tournament so far,” Svitolina said after extending her winning streak to 10 matches following her title triumph in Auckland earlier this month. “It has always been my dream to return to the top 10 after maternity leave. It means the world to me.”
Gauff, a two-time Grand Slam champion, struggled throughout the match as her serve collapsed under pressure. She was broken four times in the opening set and twice in the second, winning just 41 per cent of first-serve points and committing 19 unforced errors.
The American’s difficulties were evident early on, with multiple double faults proving costly. Svitolina took full advantage, racing through the opening set in just 29 minutes. Despite a mid-match racquet change and a brief court exit by Gauff, the pattern remained unchanged as Svitolina maintained complete control.
This marks Svitolina’s first semi-final appearance at the Australian Open, following quarter-final runs in 2018, 2019 and 2025. Her previous Grand Slam semi-final came at Wimbledon in 2023.
She now prepares for a blockbuster clash against Sabalenka, with a place in the final at stake.
