Elina Svitolina powered into her first Australian Open semi-final with a stunning 6-1, 6-2 victory over world No 3 Coco Gauff, the match lasting just 59 minutes on Rod Laver Arena. The Ukrainian 12th seed will now face world No 1 Aryna Sabalenka, who earlier defeated American teenager Iva Jovic 6-3, 6-0.
Gauff's serve imploded from the start, with five double faults in the opening set and failing to hold until her sixth service game. The 21-year-old American, a Grand Slam champion at the French and US Opens, managed only three winners against 26 unforced errors. At one stage in the second set, Svitolina won 12 consecutive points.
After the match, backstage footage showed Gauff smashing her racket repeatedly against a concrete ramp. Tim Henman, commentating for TNT Sports, described the performance as 'shocking', adding that 'the assets of your game have been completely stripped apart'.
Svitolina, 31, will return to the world’s top 10 after the tournament. She said: 'It was my dream to come back here after maternity leave, my dream to come back into the top 10. I told my coach I want to come back in the top 10 still, so this was my goal for this year.'
Sabalenka, runner-up to Madison Keys last year, is bidding to reclaim the title after a dominant display against Jovic.
