Article by Daniel Grigore – Published Wednesday, January 28, 2026, 07:30 / Updated Wednesday, January 28, 2026 07:30
Iga Swiatek (24 years old, WTA #2) was eliminated by Elena Rybakina (26 years old, #5 WTA) in the quarters of the Australian Open, score 5-7, 1-6. The Pole remains without a trophy in Melbourne, the only Grand Slam tournament she is missing.
Swiatek had a moral advantage over Rybakina, whom she had beaten in 4 of the 5 official “straightforwards” since 2025, but today she was no match for the Russian who chose to represent Kazakhstan.
Iga started in the best possible way, fast break, but Rybakina got it right back. It went head to head until 5-5, then Rybakina again prevailed on her opponent's serve, thus avoiding the tie break.
12-7was the winning shot ratio in the first set, in Elena's favor
Elena Rybakina eliminated Iga Swiatek in the quarters of the Australian Open
If the first set was contested, the second had no history. Rybakina moved to 3-0, allowed her opponent to win a game, then continued her dominant performance to close out the set with an impressive 6-1.
Here, all game parameters were on Rybakina's side: better first and second serve percentages, better return percentages, 7-2 aces, 13-3 winners.
Rybakina thus qualified for the semifinals of the Australian Open, a tournament where she has a presence in the last act, in 2023. If he gets past Jessica Pegula, the opponent in the ace box, he will repeat that performance. Aryna Sabalenka and Elina Svitolina will face off in the other semi-final.
