"Intense" - Ana Ivanovic congratulates Aryna Sabalenka on reaching Australian Open final, uplifts Coco Gauff despite SF loss

Ana Ivanovic congratulated Aryna Sabalenka on reaching the 2024 Australian Open final. She also cheered up Coco Gauff after the latter ended up on the losing side.

Sabalenka and Gauff squared off in the semi-finals of the Melbourne Major on Thursday, January 25. The Belarusian prevailed in an error-filled opening set which was decided after a tiebreak. She was pushed hard by Gauff on several occasions but held firm to close out the encounter 7-6(2), 6-4.

With this win, Sabalenka remains on course to win the Australian Open title for the second time in a row. She also became the first player since Serena Williams in 2016 and 2017 to make back-to-back finals in Melbourne.

Taking to social media on Thursday, Ivanovic reacted to the "intense" encounter between the two reigning hard-court Grand Slam champions. The Serbian reflected on Sabalenka's determination to defend her title and also backed Gauff to achieve greater success this season despite the loss.

"What an intense match with lots of opportunities for both players. Congrats to @SabalenkaA on reaching the finals back-to-back - determined on defending her title. Heads up, @cocogauff it was a strong performance and I'm sure there is still a lot waiting for you this season," Ivanovic wrote on X (formerly Twitter).

Later in the day, Sabalenka thanked Ivanovic for her congratulatory message.

"Thank you," the Belarusian commented under the post.

Sabalenka's comment under Ivanovic's tweet

---

"Win or lose it's great matches" - Aryna Sabalenka on playing against Coco Gauff

Aryna Sabalenka at the 2024 Australian Open

Aryna Sabalenka acknowledged that her clashes against Coco Gauff have always been "great" irrespective of who ends up winning.

During her on-court interview, the Belarusian showered praise on Gauff for the "incredible player" she is and expressed a desire to play many more finals with her in the future.

"I really enjoy playing [Coco Gauff], she's an incredible player, win or lose it's great matches. I really hope in the future we're going to play many more finals. Of course, I hope I win them all," Sabalenka said with a smile.

Sabalenka improved her head-to-head record against Gauff to 3-4 with her win on Thursday.

Aryna Sabalenka will face Zheng Qinwen in the Australian Open final on Saturday, January 27. This will be their second meeting on the tour, with the Belarusian defeating Zheng 6-1, 6-4 in the 2023 US Open quarter-finals in their previous encounter.

Sabalenka has been hardly tested through the week. She is yet to drop a set in the tournament and seems to be the favorite heading into the final.