AO 2026 was the Ukrainian’s 13th appearance at the Australian Open, and she exceeded her previous-best visits to Melbourne in 2018, 2019 and last year, where she made the quarterfinals but lost to eventual champion Madison Keys.
“Of course, when you play players like [Sabalenka], you don’t have too much time to waste,” Svitolina reflected.
“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.”
On her way to the semifinals, Svitolina defeated world No.8 Mirra Andreeva in the fourth round and dominated world No.3 Coco Gauff in the quarterfinals, losing just three games. It was the first time since 2019 that she had won consecutive matches against top 10 opponents.
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Since having her daughter Skai in 2022, Svitolina has returned to the WTA Tour in the best form of her career. Her ranking – aside from a steep dip when she took time off for maternity leave – has remained steady, but what’s changed is her style of play.
Traditionally, Svitolina was a player who favoured a more defensive approach. Since returning to the tour after time off, she has evolved into a more aggressive player.
“I think since I came back after pregnancy, for me it’s been all about trying to find, you know, those opportunities to attack, trying to also not to rush, because I think I still had some matches where I rushed too much,” Svitolina said after her victory over Gauff.
“But now pretty much for me it’s about trying to move my feet well, trying to find the small opportunities to take the initiative and try to strike first.”