Rybakina

MELBOURNE — Elena Rybakina finally won her second Grand Slam title with a victory over top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka at the Australian Open on Saturday, and it was something of a testament to quiet achievers.

After some tumult at the start of 2025, including the suspension of her coach, Rybakina finished off last year with a title at the WTA Finals in November. And now she has started the new year with a major championship.

Her low-key celebration was symbolic of her understated run through the tournament: a small fist pump, a quick embrace with Sabalenka, a handshake with the chair umpire, a smile, and a few hand claps on the strings of her racket and a wave to acknowledge the crowd.

It happened quickly after Rybakina closed with an ace to cap a third-set comeback and a 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 win over a regular rival who beat her in the final here in 2023.

“The heart rate was definitely beating too fast. Even maybe [my] face didn’t show, but inside it was a lot of emotions,” the 26-year-old Rybakina, who was born in Moscow but represents Kazakhstan, said of her calm and clinical finish.

She knew she had to capitalize quickly this time, after she acknowledged getting tight and needing almost a half-hour from her first match point to her match-winning point in a semifinal win over Jessica Pegula.

Elena Rybakina plays a backhand return during the women’s singles final at the Australian Open on Saturday.

(Dita Alangkara / Associated Press)

Three years ago, Rybakina won the first set of the Australian Open final but lost the match in three.

This time, after breaking in the first game and taking the first set, she rallied after losing the second set and going down 3-0 in the third. She won five straight games to regain control.

“It gives me a kind of relief,” she said, “also, a lot of confidence for sure for the rest of the season.”

It was a second major title for fifth-seeded Rybakina, who won Wimbledon in 2022 and entered that Australian final three years ago as the only major winner in the contest.

While Sabalenka went on to win another three majors, including back-to-back triumphs in Australia and the 2024 and ’25 victories at the U.S. Open, Rybakina’s results dipped and she didn’t reach another major final until this tournament.

Career change

A win over Sabalenka at the season-ending WTA Finals has changed her career trajectory. She has the most match wins on tour since Wimbledon, and is now on a roll of 20 wins in 21 matches.

“Last year I didn’t start so well,” she said. “I qualified for the [WTA] Finals late. I just hope I can carry this momentum. Do a good job with the team and continue this way.”

Rybakina is 10-0 in her last 10 matches against top-10 players, and she’ll return to No. 3 in the rankings.

Kazakhstan’s flag was unfurled on the court at Rod Laver Arena after Rybakina had paraded the trophy around and posed for photos with her team.

Coaching team

She paid tribute to her coach, Stefano Vukov, who spent time under suspension last year by the women’s tour. Vukov received a silver plate from the tournament organizers for being the champion’s coach.

“Of course I would like to thank my team,” she said. “Without you it wouldn’t have been possible. Really. We had a lot of things going on [last year]. Thank you to all of you, and hopefully we can keep on going strong this year.

“It’s a win for all the team, all the people who support me,” she said. “I just hope that I can carry this moment throughout the whole season and keep on improving.”

She said she’d been working with Vukov since 2019 and she finds it helpful to hear the constant stream of technical and tactical advice he conveys from his seat beside the court. The more, the better, she said, because eventually she listens.

“We won many titles together,” Rybakina said. “And even last year in Ningbo, WTA Finals, and now this trophy I felt just, again, proud and thankful to my team for the work.”

Win some, lose some

Aryna Sabalenka reacts after winning a point against Elena Rybakina in the women’s singles final at the Australian Open on Saturday.

(Dita Alangkara / Associated Press)

For Sabalenka, it’s back-to-back losses in the final in Australia after going down in an upset last year to Madison Keys.

“Of course, I have regrets. When you lead 3-love and then it felt like in few seconds it was 3-4, and I was down with a break — it was very fast,” she said. “Great tennis from her. Maybe not so smart for me.

“But as I say, today I’m a loser, maybe tomorrow I’m a winner. Hopefully I’ll be more of a winner this season than a loser. Hoping right now and praying.”

Rybakina went on the attack from the start and her serve was strong, with six aces and — apart from the two breaks at the end of the second set and the start of the third — she fended off six of the breakpoint chances she faced.

While Sabalenka’s emotions intensified, Rybakina maintained a determined quietness throughout.

In the end, she let her tennis do the talking.

Watch Elena Rybakina inflict further Grand Slam final heartbreak on world number one Aryna Sabalenka with a dramatic third-set fightback to win her first Australian Open title.

READ MORE: Rybakina beats Sabalenka for first Australian Open title

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In a meeting between two of the biggest hitters on the women’s tour, Rybakina neutralised Sabalenka’s trademark power with clean ball-striking and clutch serving, before digging deep in the deciding set.

Sabalenka has spent 75 weeks at the top of the rankings and remains the dominant player in the women’s game – particularly on hard courts, with this her seventh consecutive major final on the surface.

But Rybakina has emerged as the Belarusian’s kryptonite after winning seven of their past nine hard court encounters.

Having appeared on course for an impressive comeback win, Sabalenka sat with her towel over her head as she contemplated that yet another final had slipped from her grasp.

Rybakina, meanwhile, was able to celebrate a hugely impressive run to the title, having also overpowered world number two Iga Swiatek and sixth seed Jessica Pegula on her way to the final.

She has now won her past 10 matches against fellow top-10 players and is the first player to claim the title by defeating three top-10 players in each round from the quarter-finals onwards since Naomi Osaka in 2019.

Rybakina is undoubtedly the form player on the WTA Tour, boasting more wins than anyone else since the end of Wimbledon last year (38) and losing just once in her past 21 matches.

Fifth seed Elena Rybakina wins the Australian Open tennis final beating world number one Aryna Sabalenka in Melbourne.

Elena Rybakina produced a thunderous display to dismantle ‍Aryna Sabalenka ‍6-4 4-6 6-4 on Saturday and capture a maiden Australian Open title, turning the tables on the world number one in their Melbourne Park final rematch ⁠from three years ago.

Rybakina returned to the site of her heartbreak in 2023 to complete an impressive victory and earn her second major trophy after Wimbledon 2022, underlining her credentials as the player best equipped to puncture Sabalenka’s hardcourt aura.

The 26-year-old capped ⁠a fortnight of relentless efficiency while largely flying under the radar, adding the Daphne Akhurst Memorial Cup to a resume that ​also includes the 2025 WTA Finals crown where she downed Sabalenka.

“It’s hard to find words now but ‍I want to congratulate Aryna for her amazing results in the last couple of years. I hope we’re going to play many more finals together,” Kazakh Rybakina said.

“I want to say thank you to you guys (fans). Thank you so much to Kazakhstan. I felt the support from that ‍corner a lot. It’s ⁠really a Happy Slam and I always enjoy coming here and playing in front of you guys.”

In the first Grand Slam final since ​2008 featuring players yet to drop a set, it ‍was top seed Sabalenka who blinked first under the Rod Laver Arena roof as Rybakina came out all guns blazing to break in ‍the opening ⁠game and wrest control.

The Kazakh fifth seed’s huge ball-striking caused all sorts of problems for twice champion Sabalenka, as she comfortably got to set point in the 10th game and finished it off to send alarm bells ringing in her opponent’s dugout.

Having arrived with 46 ​hardcourt Grand Slam match wins from the ‌last 48, four-time major winner Sabalenka found her groove and started the second set more positively, but Rybakina saved three breakpoints to hold for 1-1.

A ‌wayward forehand from Rybakina handed Sabalenka the chance to level at one set apiece, ‌and the Belarusian gleefully took it ⁠to turn the final set into a shootout destined to be decided by whichever player held their nerves.

Having beaten Rybakina from a similar situation in the 2023 title clash, Sabalenka unleashed a flurry of winners to ‌go ahead 3-0, but the Kazakh erased the deficit and broke for ⁠4-3 before securing victory to add to her All England club triumph.

The knockout blow was a huge ace, after which the typically restrained Rybakina walked forward, smiled and pumped her fist before celebrating with her team.

Sabalenka, denied an Australian Open “three-peat” by American outsider Madison Keys in last year’s final, endured heartbreak again ‌as she retreated to her chair and draped a white towel over her head to conceal her anguish.

“I’m really speechless right now,” she said, before turning to her victorious opponent and the fans.

“I want to congratulate you on an incredible run and ‍incredible tennis. Such an incredible achievement. I love being here, love playing in front of you all. You guys are incredible support. Let’s hope next year is going to be a better year.”

Iga Swiatek’s bid to complete the career Grand Slam at this year’s Australian Open was ended by Kazakh fifth seed Elena Rybakina in the quarter-finals.

Reigning Wimbledon champion Swiatek lost 7-5 6-1 as Rybakina used her power to devastating effect.

Swiatek, 24, can already be ranked among the greats, having won six major titles across all three different surfaces.

Mastering the Wimbledon grass last year – a surface considered her weakest – opened the door to attempting in Melbourne to become only the sixth woman in the Open era to win all four Grand Slam events.

Before the tournament, Swiatek acknowledged the achievement would be a “dream come true” but insisted she was blocking out the outside noise about what was at stake.

On the evidence of what she had showed over the opening four rounds, it never truly felt that she would complete the clean sweep this year.

Swiatek’s service game had not been solid, while the quicker courts at Melbourne Park have historically led to problems against aggressive opponents.

That always promised to be a bad combination against 2022 Wimbledon champion Rybakina, who ruthlessly took advantage in Wednesday’s contest.

Rybakina, 26, could not find rhythm with her serve in a first set which started with the pair exchanging breaks.

A low first-serve percentage of 41% was uncharacteristic, but she had enough pace and aggression in her groundstrokes to rush Swiatek.

That was demonstrated in the crucial 12th game. Rybakina fought back from 0-30 with deep returning – drawing loose sprays from Swiatek – and explosive winners to take the opener.

Momentum stayed with Rybakina as she immediately took control of the second set.

In perfect 22C sunny conditions following Tuesday’s heatwave, her groundstrokes continued to fly through the court and Swiatek was unable to solve the problem facing her.