Tennis-Sabalenka says hindrance call against her helped in semi-final win

By Ian Ransom MELBOURNE, Jan 29 (Reuters) - Aryna Sabalenka said losing a point for hindrance after grunting in a rally helped fire her up on the way to an emphatic Australian Open semi-final win over Elina Svitolina. World number one Sabalenka beat Svitolina 6-2 6-3 to reach her fourth successive Australian Open final but she was infuriated at 2-1 in the first set when Swede Louise Azemar Engzell awarded the point to Svitolina mid-rally. Remonstrating with Engzell, Sabalenka was told she had made two noises after a shot, with the second deemed a hindrance as Ukrainian Svitolina returned the ball from the baseline. Twice champion Sabalenka demanded a review of the point and was given that but the decision stood. Sabalenka was still fuming about the call in her post-match press conference, playing down the offending grunt as her “exhaling”. “That’s actually never happened to me. Like, never happened to me, especially with my grunting,” she said. “It’s so off, I think. “It was just the timing. I was exhaling and it just happened naturally. “Then she called it and I was, like, ‘What? What is wrong with you?’ “I think it was the wrong call, but whatever. She really – how do I say (it) in a nice way? She really pissed me off.” Top seed Sabalenka said, however, that the call had actually helped ignite her game. “I was more aggressive. I was not happy with the call, and it really helped me to get that game,” she added. “So if she ever wants to do it again, I want to make sure that she’s not afraid of it. Go ahead, call it.” Sabalenka will meet former Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina in a rematch of the 2023 Australian Open final when she beat the Kazakh in three sets to claim her first Grand Slam title. Fifth seed Rybakina held off American Jessica Pegula to win the late semi-final at Rod Laver Arena 6-3 7-6(7). Rybakina is among the few players with the kind of power that Sabalenka yields in her groundstrokes, setting up a heavyweight clash for the title. “We have a great history. She’s an incredible player. We had a lot of great battles, a lot of finals we played,” she said of Rybakina. “If it’s going to be her, I’m looking forward to battle this power.”