Aus Open Day 12 - Rybakina vs. Sabalenka showdown set

·1 hr 5 min·4 clips

Jessica Pegula mounted a thrilling comeback with two set points, but Rybakina's resilience stole the show.

Moments before midnight in Garden Square. Rybakina and Sabalenka are into Saturday's Australian Open final after a women's semi-finals night that looked straightforward in the scorelines but had more going on underneath. The panel works with what it has. Pegula's second-set push against Rybakina gives them something to chew over, especially after David calls Rybakina's previous performance one of her best. Straight sets, yes, but not dead air. Sabalenka sits right beside Rybakina in the opening question: not who wins the final, but who has looked better getting there. The answer is close enough to be annoying. That feels right, because both finalists have been convincing enough that a neat ranking would feel forced before the proper preview. The night also turns political. In matches involving Ukrainians against Russians or Belarusians, the Australian Open has been warning crowds on screen that there will be no handshake. Tonight, it adds a vocal announcement. The timing lands awkwardly. Hearing it at 6-2, 5-2 against Svitolina feels almost too blunt, like the tournament is already bracing everyone for the ending. The panel finds some dark humor in it: a trophy-corner story from Queen's, a Philippe Chatrier image of Maresmo hovering, and Medvedev's line about Mats waiting to interview his opponent. It softens the awkwardness without making it small. This is tennis logistics turning into theatre. They circle the strange gap between what a crowd needs to know and how harsh those announcements can feel from inside a match. Tomorrow brings the full final preview. For now, the mood is warm, a little hungry for three-set drama, and properly intrigued by a Rybakina-Sabalenka matchup neither host can separate. There is housekeeping too, with bonus content, Athletic live coverage, and the men's semi-finals, plus the usual warning that bold predictions may have to be eaten by tomorrow.

As heard by us

A late-night Melbourne reset on Rybakina, Sabalenka, Pegula's resistance, and the strange little rituals around Grand Slam pressure.

Women's semifinal night in Melbourne finds The Tennis Podcast in Garden Square, a little before midnight, with Rybakina and Sabalenka through to the Australian Open final after two straight setters that still leave room for argument.

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Why you'd press play

You want the Australian Open women's final set up with Rybakina, Sabalenka, and a little Pegula spark in the margins.

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