Jessica Pegula's pursuit of her first Grand Slam win is going to have to wait a little longer. Despite once again playing some excellent tennis, Pegula fell short of winning her first major, losing in straight sets (6-3, 7-6) to Elena Rybakina in the semifinals at the 2026 Australian Open.
It was a familiar story for Rybakina, who has used a dominant serve to power through opponents at the event. She managed six aces vs. Pegula, which was actually a disappointing result after Rybakina put up 11 aces against Iga Swiatek and 10 aces against Elise Mertens en route to the semis.
But those aces — along with a few mistakes from Pegula — proved to be enough to push past the American.
It marked the second time in her career that Rybakina has reached the Australian Open final. She accomplished that feat back in 2023, where she fell to Aryna Sabalenka.
During her career, the 26-year-old Rybakina has one Grand Slam win under her belt. She picked up that victory at Wimbledon in 2022, where she defeated Ons Jabeur in the final.
While it's been an impressive tournament for Rybakina so far, she indicated that she might try andget some time away from the courtahead of Saturday's final.
For Pegula, the loss marks yet another late exit in a major. Since 2021, Pegula has played some of her best tennis. Over that period, she's reached six quarterfinals, two semifinals and one final at majors. She's peaked as high as No. 3 in the singles rankings ... but is still seeking her first Grand Slam title.
Advertisement
Pegula has reached the semifinal round at each of her last two majors, so perhaps the third time will be a charm when she participates in the French Open in May.
Aryna Sabalenka in the Australian Open final once again
Another year, another appearance in the Australian Open final for Aryna Sabalenka. The Belarusian punched her ticket to the final for her fourth-straight year, taking down Elina Svitolina in straight sets (6-2, 6-3) Thursday.
There was a moment early on when it looked like Sabalenka could be thrown off her game. With the first set 2-1 in favor of Sabalenka, she was called for hindrance after making a noise following one of her returns.
While Sabalenka had a few words with the umpire about the call, it didn't distract her from her ultimate task. She was able to get back on track, making quick work of Svitolina in the semis.
With the win, Sabalenka will now attempt to win her third Australian Open in the past four years. She won the event in both 2023 and 2024, but fell to American Madison Keys in the 2025 final.
Sabalenka's opponent this time around should be familiar, however, as the two have met in the Australian Open final before. In 2023, Sabalanka took down Rybakina in a match that went the full three sets. Sabalenka was actually down in the match, dropping the first set to Rybakina, but was able to rally and win the final two sets to secure her first Australian Open title.
Picking up a repeat win in the final could prove tough for Sabalenka. Despite being the women's No. 1, Sabalenka has struggled against Rybakina in the past. In 14 head-to-head matches, Sabalenka holds a narrow 8-6 record against Rybakina.
That should set up an exciting match when both players take the court for the women's final Saturday.
