Wins

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.

Dani Dyer, Gabby Allen and Emily Seebohm all passed the gruelling course in North Africa

Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins ended with a bang, as it celebrated an all-female line up of winners for the second time in the show’s history. Dani Dyer, Gabby Allen and Emily Seebohm all passed the “horrendous” course, while finalists Ben Cohen and Mack Horton stood down.

Airing on 26 January, the final of eight episodes of Celebrity SAS saw the five finalists face one last test. Over the previous episodes, Chief Instructor Billy Billingham and his Directing Staff, Jason Fox, Rudy Reyes and Chris Oliver, put fourteen recruits from the UK and Australia through a condensed selection course designed that stripped them of sleep and tested their strength.

READ MORE: Celebrity SAS’ Ben Cohen chokes up as he discusses dad’s ‘savage’ deathREAD MORE: Three stars leave Celebrity SAS as Neighbours actor quits over mental health concerns

Some chose to withdraw and others were culled from the process, but Dani, Gabby, Emily, Ben and Mack all made it to the final test – interrogation. During the test, both Ben and Mack chose to quit, making the women the winners.

Chief Instructor Billy delivered the final verdict: “Eight days ago you came from both sides of the world. Fourteen arrived. Three stand before us. Just because you stand on the finish line doesn’t mean you’ve passed this course.” Not leaving the three in suspense, he then added: “It’s a rare moment to say — congratulations to all three of you. You’ve passed this course.”

Looking back on the achievement, Dani said it was “horrendous”. She said: “Every single moment was horrendous. But to hear that I’d passed — it’s the best feeling in the world. If I can do this, I can do anything.”

She added: “I definitely am a lot stronger than what I think I am…I can’t believe I’ve actually been able to do it. I’m really proud of myself.” When she realised all the winning recruits were women Dani continued: “I love it because we are strong women. We go through so much as women, mentally and physically.

“That final day with the interrogations and the noises, the animals in our ears, the pig noises, the scratching, it was awful. I thought I’d messed up. I thought I grassed everyone up. That was in my head. But we are strong women. We really are.”

Olympic swimmer Emily said she wasn’t surprised that three women won. ““I wasn’t surprised it was the three women, but I was surprised the two guys (Ben and Mack) didn’t make it because they were so strong. I was always trying to keep up with them during tasks, so to not see them at the end was shocking.”

Gabby said she thought they three of them were “boss b***hes” for getting through the ordeal. ““I can’t believe that out of fourteen people, it’s us. Well, I can — because we’re boss b***hes. Standing there with two women at the end meant everything to me. My whole brand is about empowering women from every walk of life. Men are strong, but women show time and time again that we can do just as much. We were lifting the same weights, trying just as hard. I wouldn’t have wanted to be there at the end with anyone else. We built a bond you could never replicate.”

Gabby and Dani both rose to fame on dating show Love Island, with Dani winning series four, and Gabby taking the crown in All Stars two. “The whole cast surprised me in different ways but Dani surprised me,” Gabby said.

“I felt protective of her, but she held her own and never gave up. Standing next to her at the end was incredible. Two girls from Love Island showing everyone what we can do.”

Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins is available to stream on Channel 4.

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