WATCH: Long grunt costs Aryna Sabalenka a point in Australian Open semi-final

Apart from being a great tennis player, Aryna Sabalenka is also known for being quite loud on the tennis court, which cost her a point at the 2026 Australian Open.

Sabalenka has been incredibly dominant at the start of the 2026 season. The WTA world No. 1 player has won all 11 matches she has played, all without losing a set. But before the first women's singles semi-final, Elina Svitolina certainly wanted to end that streak.

The Ukrainian player started well, having two break points on her opponent's serve in the opening game of the match. She couldn't convert that chance, so after three games, it was the top seed who had a 2-1 lead.

Svitolina started on her serve in the fourth game of the match. She served into Sabalenka's backhand, with the Belarusian returning the ball to Svitolina's forehand side. The players then traded a few forehands until Sabalenka mishit one.

As a natural reaction to the mishit, Sabalenka weirdly over-extended her grunt, as if she thought she lost the rally and bemoaned it. However, the ball landed in the court, but the umpire of the match, Louise Azemar Engzell, thought that the Belarusian's grunt was enough of a distraction to call "hindrance."

That means, according to Engzell, Sabalenka hindered her opponent's ability to play the next shot with a loud grunt, which is why she immediately awarded the point to the Ukrainian player.

Sabalenka, obviously, didn't agree with the decision. She used the opportunity to request a video review. Still, even after seeing the footage again, the umpire insisted that Sabalenka's grunt was distracting to her opponent, which is why she didn't change her decision.

Although it was a frustrating moment for Sabalenka, she used it as fuel for the following rallies. She won the very next rally, and eventually ended up breaking Svitolina in that same game. As a result, she jumped into a 3-1 lead.

The world No. 1 player then extended her lead with another break to win the first set of the match 6-2. Sabalenka's flawless performance also continued in the second set, despite her slow start. The four-time major winner fell 0-2 behind, but she then won five consecutive games, and eventually won the match 6-2, 6-3.

Thanks to her incredible start to the 2026 season, Sabalenka will play her fourth consecutive Australian Open final. Her opponent will be Elena Rybakina, an opponent whom Sabalenka beat in the 2023 final.

Rybakina will probably be the biggest obstacle standing between Sabalenka and her third Australian Open title, but the Belarusian player is looking forward to the challenge.