Australian Open 2026: Will anyone deny Aryna Sabalenka a third title in Melbourne?

While results might suggest she has enjoyed relatively serene progress, Sabalenka admitted she was “emotionally all over the place” earlier in the tournament.

It has been an issue which has, at times, derailed her pursuit of the sport’s biggest prizes and she has worked with a psychologist to improve that aspect of her game.

Sabalenka lost two Grand Slam finals last year, first to Keys in Melbourne before committing 70 unforced errors in the French Open showpiece against Coco Gauff.

Squeezing through two tight tie-breaks against Anastasia Potapova in the third round was something Sabalenka accepted that she may not have had the mental resilience to achieve five years ago, when she would likely be “focusing too much on the way she feels”.

Even so, Sabalenka’s impressive level of consistency at recent major tournaments – she has reached the semi-finals at 14 of the past 17 majors she has contested – means she is at home at the business end of slams.

Not least when competing on hard courts, on which she has won her past six major semi-finals.

“It’s unbelievable what I was able to achieve. What’s really helping me to be there all the time is the focus that I’m having,” Sabalenka said.

“The mentality is the same, it’s always in your mind that you want to win it. But I’m trying to shift my focus on the right things and take it step by step.”