Melbourne, Jan 29 (NationPress) Elina Svitolina exited Melbourne Park without securing a spot in the Australian Open final, yet she carries a renewed conviction about the direction of her game. The Ukrainian's journey at the Australian Open 2026 concluded on Thursday after a 6-2, 6-3 semifinal defeat against World No.1 Aryna Sabalenka, who advanced to her fourth consecutive final in Melbourne.

This marked Svitolina's first appearance in the semifinals at the Australian Open, and despite the straight-sets result, she emerged with a focus on progress rather than disappointment.

“(I’m) definitely very, very happy with the two weeks here and in New Zealand as well...it's of course very difficult when you're playing world No.1. But (I) just want to take positives from the past weeks and the beginning of the year and just carry them through the season,” Svitolina shared during her post-match press conference.

The 31-year-old recognized that her serve faltered against Sabalenka, describing it as “not great,” but believed that other aspects of her game were functioning well. “To be fair, I thought I was returning today quite well. I think I was returning well, but then her second shot was unbelievable. She was returning well quickly, and then she had another punch coming, the second shot after her serve,” she explained.

Although the defeat might weigh on her for a bit, Svitolina's semifinal performance highlighted her steady upward trend. This year marked her 13th participation in the Australian Open, and she outperformed her previous best results in the tournament. Before 2026, her deepest runs in Melbourne occurred in 2018, 2019, and 2025, when she reached the quarterfinals before falling to eventual champion Madison Keys.

“Of course, when you play players like (Sabalenka), you don't have too much time to waste,” reflected Svitolina. “I feel I'm in good form, I think I can definitely draw some confidence, and look forward to the upcoming tournaments. We're just two weeks or maybe three weeks into the year.”

Her path to the semifinals was particularly commendable. Svitolina defeated World No.8 Mirra Andreeva in the fourth round and then overcame World No.3 Coco Gauff in the quarterfinals, conceding only three games. These victories marked the first time since 2019 that she had triumphed over top-10 opponents in consecutive Grand Slam matches.

Apart from tennis, Svitolina emotionally shared what the tournament represented for her personally and for her country. Despite falling one match short of the final, she framed her Australian Open campaign as a source of pride.

“I'm still disappointed that I didn't go further…But I feel like I should not be allowed to really be sad. I have a great position…I have this amazing opportunity to play on centre court here, represent my country, to do it in a decent way, and to have the opportunity, you know, to use my words and just be there for my people. I feel like for the past weeks, they have been really carrying me through with great vibes, with great emotions, and for me, this is something that really motivates me,” she concluded.