Fifth-seeded Elena Rybakina rallied from three games down in the third set to defeat World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 and win her first Australian Open on Saturday in Melbourne.
The contest was a rematch of the 2023 final, in which Rybakina, of Kazakhstan, again went up a set but lost the next two as Sabalenka won her first Australian Open title.
Not this time.
Rybakina, 26, won the fourth game of the third set to trail 3-1, then broke the Belarusian’s serve in back-to-back games to take a 5-3 lead. Sabalenka won her next service game before Rybakina closed the match with an ace to earn her second Grand Slam title.
“It’s hard to find words now,” Rybakina said during the trophy presentation. “But of course, I want to congratulate Aryna (for) amazing results (the last) couple of years. And I know it’s tough (now), but I just hope that we’re going to play many more finals together.”
Rybakina won Wimbledon in 2022.
“It’s amazing to hold this trophy,” she said. “I knew that today if I get a chance to lead that I will need to try some risky shots and just go for it … not wait for any mistakes or even get to the long rallies.
“It was tough to come back in the third. I’m happy that being down, I was able to calm myself down, not being frustrated anymore, and just focus on each point and stay close. I’m super happy.”
Sabalenka, 27, was seeking her third Australian Open title in four years.
“I love being here, I love playing in front of you all,” Sabalenka said to the crowd. “You guys are incredible support. I’m always looking forward to coming and playing in front of you, and well, let’s hope maybe next year is going to be a better year for me.”
The two-hour, 18-minute final was close statistically. Sabalenka won points on 76% of her first serves, compared to 75% for Rybakina. Both won points on 48% of their second serves.
Of the 184 total points in the match, Rybakina and Sabalenka each captured 92. Sabalenka had more winners (35-28) and more unforced errors (25-24).
Rybakina will reclaim her career-high ranking of No. 3 on Monday thanks to her current 20-1 stretch, including a win at the season-ending WTA Finals and a 9-1 start to 2026.
Sabalenka slipped to 4-4 in Grand Slam finals but maintains a slim 8-7 edge head-to-head against Rybakina. She will retain her No. 1 ranking by more than 3,000 points as the calendar flips to February.
–Field Level Media
