Elina Svitolina said she would not permit herself to be sad following her Australian Open semi-final loss to Aryna Sabalenka, adding that she was lucky to be playing tennis while people are suffering in her Ukraine homeland. Svitolina bowed out of her first semi-final at Melbourne Park with a 6-2 6-3 defeat to top-seeded Belarusian Sabalenka in a match overshadowed by geopolitical tensions. The Ukrainian otherwise felt she gave a good account of herself against Sabalenka and at the Grand Slam overall. "It's important because I also know when I go back to Ukraine, I see people are really stuck in the routine. "So I think sports, in general, for Ukraine really unites us as a people and unites us with these great emotions."

Source: Irish Independent January 29, 2026 15:09 UTC