And now Aryna Sabalenka makes her move.

A forehand winner is followed up by a powerful return, bringing her to three set points.

Gigi Salmon
BBC Sport tennis commentator on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra and BBC Sounds

Among active players, only Venus Williams and Elena Rybakina have more wins against top ten players than Elina Svitolina's seven.

Aryna Sabalenka has already amassed 17 winners here in an impressive start, fuelled in part by her sense of injustice over that earlier hinderance call.

But Elina Svitolina hits her first return winner of the contest to stay in touch in the world number one's latest game, and is able to use that as a springboard to reach deuce.

Can she create her first opportunity since the opening game? Nope, Sabalenka slams the door shut to move within one game of the set.

Anyway, back to the tennis.

Can Elina Svitolina stay in touch here? Aryna Sabalenka has gone up a gear and forces another break point, but Svitolina escapes to the temporary safety of deuce.

Having been denied her first game point, Svitolina produces an excellent first serve out wide to hold.

According to the Australian Open website: "The hindrance rule is designed to prevent a player from interfering with an opponent's ability to play a shot.

"If the interference is deemed deliberate - such as shouting, making unnecessary noise, or moving in a way intended to distract - the offending player loses the point."

Annabel Croft
Former British number one on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra

After hearing a replay of the hindrance call...

That is ridiculous. Absolutely ridiculous.

That was hardly even a noise! It was hardly anything.

I think that is the wrong decision.

Image source, Getty Images

Abigail Johnson
Commentator on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra and BBC Sounds

That was exemplary focus from Sabalenka. You could see the 'mocking' smile on her face after the hindrance was called - she was bemused.

I am pretty confused up here too - how often do we hear players change their grunt during the course of the match? I can probably name one or two from the last decade. I don't remember a hindrance being called for any of that.

A wonderful backhand winner from Elina Svitolina flies past Aryna Sabalenka to give the 12th seed 15-30 as she pushes for an immediate response.

But she gets the next point all wrong! Svitolina, with the opportunity to set up two break back points, knocks a tame drop shot into the net.

The chance is quickly taken away from her as Sabalenka regains control.

Aryna Sabalenka refuses to let Elina Svitolina escape on game point, before another devastating forehand brings up the first break point of the contest.

And of course, she capitalises. That's the breakthrough in this first women's semi-final!

Aryna Sabalenka can't be described as 'cagey' now. The world number one is fired up after that confrontation with the umpire.

Probably not what Elina Svitolina wants to see. The Ukrainian 12th seed produces a stunning, angled winner at the net - but Sabalenka forces her way to deuce with a forehand.

Image source, Getty Images

Abigail Johnson
Commentator on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra and BBC Sounds

It's been a little bit of a cagey start for Sabalenka.

Something that maybe goes under the radar a bit is that Sabalenka really prefers to play earlier in the day.

She had a title run in Brisbane and she is back in the semi-finals here - across those two runs, she has only played one night match which was her opening match here in Melbourne.

For someone of her stature and status, it is very rare to see her as first match of the day so regularly. Often that would be a high-billing night match.

That suggests to me that that is her preference on how she likes to structure her day and her tennis.

The umpire makes a call of hindrance against Aryna Sabalenka, who appears to have thought she had missed before making a noise as Elina Svitolina played the ball.

Sabalenka's shot landed in, prompting the umpire's intervention. Safe to say the world number one isn't best pleased with that...

She takes out her anger on the ball in the next point, levelling at 15-15 before again addressing the chair umpire, who looks thoroughly unimpressed.

Image source, Getty Images

Aryna Sabalenka slams a backhand down the line to begin a dominant service game.

She leads 40-0 before allowing Elina Svitolina on to the board with a missed forehand, but soon polishes off a second game after 10 minutes.

It may have taken Sabalenka a couple of minutes to loosen up, but she is very much firing now.

Aryna Sabalenka guides in a backhand volley to continue her streak of points as Elina Svitolina takes over serving duties.

Svitolina goes on the front foot to take charge of the game, but a double fault gives Sabalenka 30-30.

Determined not to offer Sabalenka any early encouragement, she resets to see out the hold. Solid start.

It is Aryna Sabalenka to serve first in the opening set on Rod Laver Arena, but the world number one makes a less than convincing start as she hits a couple of loose shots to hand over a couple of early break points.

After a nervous start, Sabalenka whacks a forehand winner out of reach to save the first before overpowering Elina Svitolina with a brilliant cross-court backhand. Well saved.

And she appears to have very much settled in now! Another couple of winners off the forehand give her the first game from 15-40 down.

This is only the fifth time in the Open era that all four women's singles players have reached the semi-finals at a Grand Slam without dropping a set.

That last happened at a major in 1995, while it has been 56 years since it last occurred at the Australian Open.

Two players are going to have to lose a couple today. But that's possibly about the only certainty.

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

While results might suggest she has enjoyed relatively serene progress, Aryna Sabalenka admitted she was "emotionally all over the place" earlier in the tournament.

It has been an issue which has, at times, derailed her pursuit of the sport's biggest prizes and she has worked with a psychologist to improve that aspect of her game.

Sabalenka lost two Grand Slam finals last year, first to Keys in Melbourne before committing 70 unforced errors in the French Open showpiece against Coco Gauff.

Squeezing through two tight tie-breaks against Anastasia Potapova in the third round was something Sabalenka accepted that she may not have had the mental resilience to achieve five years ago, when she would likely be "focusing too much on the way she feels". Now, she's trying her best to "focus on the right things".

But Sabalenka has achieved an impressive level of consistency at recent major tournaments - she has reached the semi-finals at 14 of the past 17 majors she has contested - and she is at home at the business end of Grand Slams.

Image source, Getty Images

Great Britain's Neal Skupski and American Christian Harrison are through to the men's doubles final.

The pair defeated third seeds Marcel Granollers of Spain and Argentine Horacio Zeballos 6-3 7-6 (9-7) and will face Australian wildcards Jason Kubler and Marc Polmans in the final, after they defeated Briton Luke Johnson and Polish partner Jan Zielinski 6-2 3-6 6-3.

Alfie Hewett beat doubles partner Gordon Reid 6-2 6-3 to reach the semi-finals of the men's wheelchair singles - however, the pair's bid for a seventh successive wheelchair doubles title in Melbourne is over.

Hewett and Reid lost 6-4 2-6 [10-4] to Japan's Tokito Oda and Argentine team-mate Gustavo Fernandez.

In the quad doubles, Britain's Andy Lapthorne and Australian Heath Davidson will contest the final after winning 4-6 7-6 (10-8) [10-6] against Donald Ramphadi and Jin Woodman.

The pair will face top seeds Guy Sasson and Niels Vink for the title.

Image source, Getty Images

Aryna Sabalenka is aiming to reach a fourth consecutive Australian Open final and win a third title in Melbourne.

Her three fellow semi-finalists, all ranked within the world's top 15 at the start of the tournament, are aiming to win the event for the first time.

• Read BBC Sport's semi-final preview

Image source, Getty Images

Elina Svitolina is through to her first Australian Open semi-final at the age of 31.

The Ukrainian 12th seed will need to find a way to defeat Sabalenka for the first time since 2020 if she is to reach a first career Grand Slam final, however.

Formerly known for her defensive style, Svitolina returned after having daughter Skai in 2022 as a different player.

She has since doubled her career total of semi-final appearances over the past three years thanks to a more aggressive approach.

"Since I came back after pregnancy, for me it's been all about trying to find those opportunities to take the initiative and strike first," Svitolina said.