Who is Elena Rybakina? Kazakhstani tennis player stuns Iga Swiatek, storms into Australian Open semi-finals; all about her

Elena Rybakina, the fifth-seeded Kazakhstani player, defeated six-time Grand Slam champion Iga Swiatek 7-5 6-1 at Melbourne Park on Wednesday (January 28, 2026) to book her place in the Australian Open semi-finals.

With the dominant win against the World No 2 Polish player following a dominant ⁠second-set display, Rybakina has moved one step closer to lifting the Australian Open trophy for ‌the first ‌time. She will face either Jessica Pegula or Amanda Anisimova ‌for a place in Saturday's final (January 31, 2026).

Rybakina was ‘really pleased with the win’

Following the victory, Rybakina said, “Really pleased with the win." "We know each other pretty well, and I was just trying to stay aggressive. I feel like in the first set for both of us the first serve wasn't working, so we were trying to step in ‌on the ‍second serve to put pressure on each ‍other. I think in the second I just started ‌to play more freely and serve better, and I'm really happy with the win," she further stated.

Elena Rybakina vs Iga Swiatek: Match highlights

Swiatek had made a quick start, breaking Rybakina in the opening game as she punished the Kazakh's second serve, but the number two seed failed to consolidate, immediately surrendering her advantage.

Both players held ‍serve until the final game, when Swiatek fired into the net to give Rybakina the opening ‍set after ⁠almost an hour's ⁠play. Rybakina then made the most of Swiatek's frustrations with her service, taking the second game of the second set by crashing a forehand into the corner with the Pole rooted to the spot.

Swiatek was left questioning a marginal line call as Rybakina broke her serve again late in the set before comfortably holding to advance.

Elena Rybakina: Personal life, career and Grand Slam record

Elena Rybakina, who represents Kazakhstan, turned professional in 2016 and plays right-handed. She is currently ranked world no. 5. Born on June 17, 1999, the 26-year-old hails from Moscow, Russia. Rybakina stands 6 feet tall and weighs 159 pounds. In the 2026 season, she has yet to win a singles or doubles title and holds a 2–1 singles win-loss record. Over the course of her career, she has captured 11 singles titles, no doubles titles, and compiled an overall 392–163 singles record, according to ESPN.

Her career includes 11 singles titles, highlighted by her victory at Wimbledon in 2022, along with wins at the WTA Finals in 2025 and tournaments in Indian Wells, Rome, Brisbane, Abu Dhabi, Stuttgart, Ningbo, Strasbourg, Hobart and Bucharest, according to the WTA website.

Rybakina has also finished runner-up on 11 occasions, including finals appearances at the Australian Open and Miami Open in 2023, as well as events in Doha, Adelaide, Portorož, Shenzhen, St Petersburg, Dubai, Strasbourg and Nanchang.

According to the Tennis World organisation website, Rybakina began playing tennis at the age of six with her older sister, initially focusing on gymnastics and ice skating. Her father pushed her towards tennis after she was told that she was too tall to turn pro in either of these sports.