Aryna Sabalenka opens up on controversial hindrance call at Australian Open 2026 semifinal; ‘she really pissed me off’

Aryna Sabalenka opened up on the controversial hindrance call during her Australian Open 2026 women's singles semifinal against Elina Svitolina on Thursday at the Rod Laver Arena. The incident took place during the fourth game of the first set.

As the rally intensified between the two, umpire Louise Azemar Engzell paused the game with a “stop, hindrance” call just when Svitolina was about to return to Sabalenka. Engzell's call shocked both the players. While Svitolina stood in a state of surprise, "what?" was Sabalenka's first reaction as the world no. 1 called for a television review.

“You went, ‘Uh-aya'. You don’t make the normal sound,” was Engzell's reply to Sabalenka as she upheld her decision. Although the Belarusian lost that point, but she dominated for the remainder of the match to march towards her third Australian Open title.

“That’s actually never happened to me. Especially with my grunting. It’s so off I think,” Sabalenka told reporters after the game. “I was like ‘What? What is wrong with you?’ I think it was the wrong call. She really pissed me off. It actually helped me and benefited my game,” she added.