Kazakhstan’s Elena Rybakina claimed her maiden
Australian Open crown after edging Belarusian top seed Aryna Sabalenka in a
gripping three-set final at Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne.
The fifth-seeded Rybakina held her nerve in a
high-powered showdown between two of the game’s biggest hitters, winning 6-4,
4-6, 6-4 in a battle that lasted two hours and 18 minutes.
The victory marked sweet revenge for the 26-year-old
after Sabalenka defeated her in the 2023 Australian Open final. Rybakina, born
in Moscow and now representing Kazakhstan, added the Melbourne title to her
Wimbledon triumph in 2022.
Sabalenka, who had dominated the tournament and was
contesting her fourth consecutive Australian Open final, suffered another
painful defeat in a major decider. Despite winning the US Open last year, the
Belarusian has now fallen short in recent French Open and Australian Open
finals, leaving her in tears at the conclusion of the match.
With the roof closed due to light rain, Rybakina made
an immediate statement by breaking serve early in the opening set and racing to
a 2-0 lead. Although she faced pressure at 4-3, the Kazakh found her range on
serve, firing an ace to escape danger and closing out the set in 37 minutes. It
was the first set Sabalenka had dropped in the 2026 season.
The second set was fiercely contested, featuring long
rallies and tense service games. Sabalenka eventually seized her opportunity at
5-4, breaking Rybakina’s serve to level the match and force a decider.
Carrying that momentum into the third set, Sabalenka
surged ahead to a 3-0 lead, putting Rybakina under visible pressure. However,
the Wimbledon champion showed remarkable composure, regrouping to claw back the
break and restore parity at 3-3.
From there, Rybakina took control, winning four
consecutive games to edge ahead and move within touching distance of the title.
She sealed the victory in emphatic fashion, firing her sixth ace of the match
to secure the championship.
The final was the latest chapter in a growing rivalry,
with the pair having faced each other 14 times previously, Sabalenka winning
eight of those encounters. Although Sabalenka entered as favourite, Rybakina’s
recent form had signalled danger, having also beaten her rival at the
season-ending WTA Finals.
Rybakina’s road to the title included impressive
victories over second seed Iga Swiatek in the quarter-finals and sixth seed
Jessica Pegula in the semi-finals.
The triumph further cements Rybakina’s status among
the elite of women’s tennis and crowns a remarkable journey that began when she
switched allegiance to Kazakhstan in 2018, citing financial constraints while
still a little-known teenager.
Comments:
Leave a Reply