Trophy or Nothing’: Sabalenka Sends Warning as She Reaches Semis
Aryna Sabalenka storms into the Australian Open semi-finals with a “trophy or nothing” mindset, reaching her 14th semi in 17 Grand Slams.
Aryna Sabalenka says her mindset is "trophy or nothing" as she continued her quest for a third Australian Open title in four years with a dominant quarter-final victory over teenager Iva Jovic.
World number one Sabalenka defeated the emerging American star Jovic 6-3 6-0 and awaits either third seed Coco Gauff or Ukraine's Elina Svitolina in the semi-finals.
The 27-year-old Belarusian, a four-time Grand Slam singles champion, has reached the semi-finals in 14 of the last 17 major tournaments.
Sabalenka is only the third woman in the last 38 years to reach eight consecutive Grand Slam singles semi-finals, after Lindsay Davenport and Martina Hingis.
"I think what I've achieved is incredible," Sabalenka said.
"The thing that's helping me to be there all the time is my focus.
"Focusing on the right things definitely helps a lot to maintain consistency."
Sabalenka has reached the semi-finals in Melbourne this year without dropping a set, extending her winning streak to 10 matches and 20 consecutive sets since the start of 2026.
After losing two Grand Slam finals last year – first in Melbourne and then at the French Open – Sabalenka defended her US Open title in September and is a strong favourite to reclaim her Australian Open crown.
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Sabalenka, who has won 19 of her 22 career titles on hard courts, said: "I think every player, when they come to a tournament, their goal is trophy or nothing.
"The mindset is the same, and it's always in your mind that you want to win it.
"But I'm trying to keep my focus on the right things and trying to give my best in every match, every point, every game, every set." "That's my mentality."
This was the second consecutive round in which Sabalenka faced a teenage opponent, having previously defeated 19-year-old Canadian Victoria Mboko.
"These teenagers have tested me in the last couple of rounds. Don't look at the score. It wasn't easy at all," she said.
Sabalenka's quarter-final match against 18-year-old Zovik was played in scorching heat exceeding 40C, and the Australian Open's heat stress scale reached the cut-off mark shortly after their match concluded.
The roof of Rod Laver Arena was closed while Sabalenka was giving her post-match interview and remained closed for the rest of the day's matches.
Zovik described Sabalenka, who has worked on controlling her emotions on court to achieve consistent success at the sport's biggest tournaments, as "very inspiring."
"I think the way she's used all the negative things that have happened to her and turned them into motivation and energy to become better is amazing," Zovik said.
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