TNT Sports forced to apologise after Aryna Sabalenka reaches Australian Open final

During the post-match conversation, the Belarusian became animated when discussing a contentious hindrance ruling that had been made against her in the opening set.

The 27-year-old had been penalised by chair umpire Louise Azemar Engzell for an extended grunt, a decision that clearly still frustrated her despite the comfortable win.

The incident occurred during the first set when Sabalenka was called for hindrance following what she described as a natural exhale during a point.

The Belarusian challenged the ruling, prompting officials to conduct a video review, but Engzell maintained her original decision.

Explaining her frustration afterwards, Sabalenka said: "It was a different exhale.

"When you breathe out, sometimes it happens naturally, I didn't do it on purpose, I knew the ball was flying in."

She added: "I don't know, I've done it so many times at different tournaments, never had this call."

The world No 1 insisted the sound was unintentional and expressed bewilderment at receiving such a penalty given her history at other events.

Despite her irritation, Sabalenka acknowledged that the controversial call had ultimately worked in her favour by firing her up.

However, it was during this explanation that she let slip the offending word, telling the interviewer: "I think she... I don't know.

"Actually, I'm grateful that she did it because she p****d me off, I won that game because I won that game so thanks a lot because next time don't hesitate again."

The expletive prompted an immediate response from TNT Sports' lead presenter Laura Robson, who told viewers: "An apology for the slight mishap with the language there but fair enough."

Sabalenka credited the umpire's decision with providing the motivation she needed to secure the crucial game.

By defeating Svitolina, Sabalenka secured her fourth consecutive Melbourne Park final, becoming the first woman to achieve this feat since Martina Hingis.

The victory also marked her eighth Grand Slam final overall.

Saturday's showdown against Elena Rybakina will be a repeat of the 2023 final, which Sabalenka won in three sets against the Kazakh.

The Belarusian, who has held the world No 1 ranking for more than 70 weeks, is chasing a potential third successive Australian Open title after triumphing in 2023 and 2024, though she lost last year's final to Madison Keys.

Reaching the final has already guaranteed Sabalenka £1.5 million, with the winner's cheque worth £3 million.