Former Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina sent a powerful message at Melbourne Park on Wednesday, dismantling second seed Iga Swiatek 7-5, 6-1 to reach the Australian Open semifinals and keep her maiden title hopes alive.

Rybakina’s controlled aggression and calm execution proved decisive as Swiatek, visibly frustrated late in the match, saw another Australian Open campaign slip away before the final weekend.

Swiatek, a six-time Grand Slam champion across Roland Garros, Wimbledon, and the US Open, once again fell short of breaking through in Melbourne. The Polish star has never advanced beyond the semifinals at the Australian Open, and that wait will continue after a tournament in which she never fully found her rhythm.

“I’m really pleased with the win,” Rybakina said after the match. “We know each other pretty well and I was trying to stay aggressive.”

Rybakina takes control after tight opening set

The opening set offered little separation between the two, with both players trading heavy baseline blows under noticeably cooler conditions following Melbourne’s heatwave a day earlier. With the roof open on center court, rallies were sharp and physical, and neither player gave much away early.

Rybakina, seeded fifth, edged the crucial moments of the first set to take it 7-5, a blow that appeared to drain Swiatek’s confidence. From there, the momentum swung firmly in the Kazakh’s favor.

Rybakina surged through the second set, breaking repeatedly as Swiatek struggled to settle. By the closing stages of the 1-hour, 35-minute contest, Swiatek was arguing a line call as her hopes faded, while Rybakina remained composed and clinical.

Swiatek’s Melbourne hoodoo continues

Swiatek entered the quarterfinal holding a narrow 6-5 head-to-head advantage over Rybakina, but the rivalry’s latest chapter belonged decisively to the Wimbledon champion. The victory marked Rybakina’s fifth consecutive straight-sets win at this year’s tournament, underlining her growing authority on hard courts.

The 2023 Australian Open finalist now moves one step closer to going one better, with a semifinal clash awaiting against either fourth seed Amanda Anisimova or sixth seed Jessica Pegula, who face off in an all-American quarterfinal.

For Swiatek, the loss extends a frustrating pattern in Melbourne, where her dominance at other majors has yet to translate into a deep run at the season’s opening Grand Slam.