India, Jan. 29 -- Naturally there'll be attention on the backstory when Aryna Sabalenka and Elina Svitolina meet in the Australian Open women's semifinals. Top-ranked Sabalenka, who is seeking a third title in four years in Australia, is a 27-year-old from Belarus. She's popular on TikTok for her humorous posts and dance routines. Svitolina is a 31-year-old Ukrainian who will be returning to the Top 10 next week for the first time since returning from a maternity break she took in 2022.

She reached her first Australian Open semifinal with a lopsided win over No. 3 Coco Gauff, needing only 59 minutes to end her run of three quarterfinal losses at Melbourne Park. They're both regularly asked questions relating to Russia's war on Ukraine. B...