Australian Open 2026 Results, Thursday's Bracket Winners, Losers and Highlights

Aryna Sabalenka and Elena Rybakina were victorious on Thursday at the 2026 Australian Open.

Sabalenka, the No. 1 seed in the women's singles bracket, once again won in straight sets to reach her fourth consecutive final in Melbourne.

Rybakina also needed two sets to pick up her semifinal victory over American Jessica Pegula.

Sabalenka and Rybakina will meet in the Australian Open final for the second time in their careers. Sabalenka won in three sets in 2023.

No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka def. No. 12 Elina Svitolina, 6-2, 6-3

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Aryna Sabalenka became the first women's player since Martina Hingis in 2002 to reach her fourth consecutive Australian Open final.

The four-time Grand Slam champion has now reached the final at the last seven hard-court majors. She's 4-2 in those championship matches with two titles in Melbourne and a pair of titles in New York.

Sabalenka didn't face much difficulty taking care of No. 12 Elina Svitolina. She won 6-2, 6-3 in commanding fashion.

Thursday's win continued a remarkable run of straight-set wins in Melbourne for Sabalenka.

Since the start of the 2023 Australian Open, 24 of Sabalenka's 26 victories in Melbourne have come in two sets.

No. 5 Elena Rybakina def. No. 6 Jessica Pegula, 6-3, 7-6 (7)

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Elena Rybakina earned her third Grand Slam final appearance with a straight-set triumph over Jessica Pegula.

Rybakina won the first three games of the opening set to create an advantage in the first frame that she won 6-3.

Pegula fought hard in the second set. The American brought the set to a tiebreak, but she was unable to continue the match.

Rybakina held on to win the tiebreak 9-7 and set up a second Australian Open final against Sabalenka in four years.

Rybakina also hasn't lost a set in Melbourne yet. Her path to the final was more difficult than Sabalenka since she beat No. 2 seed Iga Swiatek in the quarterfinals and then beat Pegula, the No. 6 seed, in the semifinals. Sabalenka hasn't faced a top 10 seed yet.