Aryna Sabalenka’s grunt is her signature sound on the court. The Belarusian, known for her fierce, attacking style, punctuates every shot with a roar. But in the Australian Open semifinals against Elina Svitolina, she faced a call she didn’t see coming.

In the opening set on Thursday, Sabalenka led 2-1 when the umpire hit her with a hindrance call for grunting during a rally. The decision came while she was on return, catching both players off guard and stirring a murmur through the crowd.

Upon the interruption, Aryna Sabalenka immediately asked for a video review, eager to understand what had triggered the call. The chair umpire explained that her vocalization during the point was unlike her usual rhythm, disrupting the flow of play.

“You went ‘UH – AYA’… you don’t make the normal sound,” the umpire told her, standing by the hindrance ruling. The World No. 1 then asked if she could let out one long, continuous grunt, as long as it wasn’t broken mid-rally.

In the end, she still took the first set against Svitolina (6-2), her roar intact, though the match is far from over.

This is a developing story…