Elena Rybakina blows away Iga Swiatek to reach Australian Open semi-finals

Elena Rybakina took a significant step towards her second grand slam title as she overpowered and outplayed the second seed Iga Swiatek in the quarter-finals of the Australian Open, advancing 7-5, 6-1 to end Swiatek’s hopes of completing the career grand slam this year.

This immense victory sends Rybakina, the fifth seed and 2023 Australian Open finalist, into her fourth grand slam semi-final. It has been nearly four years since the 26-year-old made her first breakthrough by winning Wimbledon in 2022, and although she has won numerous big titles and established herself as one of the best players in the world, she has failed to drag herself over the line at the grand slams.

However, Rybakina arrived in Melbourne playing some of the best tennis of her career after dismantling the field at the WTA Finals last November. The disdain with which she put Swiatek away here in set two reinforced her potential to win this tournament.

Rybakina and Swiatek have built one of the most significant rivalries in the sport, having competed against each other on so many of the biggest stages. Although Swiatek is the more accomplished and overall superior player, this is a match-up Rybakina relishes. Her destructive serve, the best in the world, neutralises Swiatek’s peerless return abilities and she robs Swiatek of time with her easy, destructive ball speed off both wings. This is reflected in their countless tight matches, with the head-to-head now even at 6-6.

The serve differential was the story here again. Rybakina did not even serve spectacularly well in the first set, landing just 41% of first serves. But she won 93% of the points behind it, conceding only one point. While Rybakina breezed through her service games to reach 6-5, Swiatek served badly under significant scoreboard pressure. Late in the set, Rybakina’s aggression pressured Swiatek to take the initiative and the Pole played an error strewn service game to relinquish the set.

Having secured the opening set, Rybakina relaxed and she played with total freedom until the end. She was nearly unplayable, firing aces on important points and eviscerating the ball off both wings with total clarity, suffocating Swiatek with her aggression. There was no way back for the Pole, who once again had to endure the grim, familiar experience of being hit off the court by Rybakina.