Elena Rybakina, considered by many to be a dark horse in the draw, ran away with the Australian Open title, which she snatched 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 from Aryna Sabalenka in a high-quality final at Rod Laver Arena to secure the second Grand Slam title of her career on Saturday.
Yes, it’s hard to find words right now. Of course I would like to congratulate Aryna on her great results in recent years. I know it’s tough, but I really hope we play many more finals together. And also congratulations to your team: you have done a great job and made so many improvements. Elina Rybakina
“It was a battle,” said Rybakina, the first Kazakh player to win an Australian Open singles title. “I’m really proud.”
The world number 5, whose impassive demeanor belies her steely determination, made a strong end to the 2025 season and a fast start to 2026 with a first hard-court major, a surface on which she has won 20 of her past 22 matches.
With Saturday’s win, Rybakina avenged her 2023 loss to Sabalenka on the same court, and interestingly, became the first No. 5 seed to win a Grand Slam title since Belarus’ victory against her in that final.
This was their 15th career meeting and Rybakina had a plan in mind, which she began to execute with an immediate break of Sabalenka serve in the opening match, and then consolidated, thanks to the clean, powerful shot that had allowed her to upset second seed Iga Swiatek in the quarterfinals.
Serving at 4-3, the 26-year-old Kazakh saved two break points, the first with an ace and the second with a 182 km/h serve that deflected Sabalenka, who threw her arms up in frustration.
After Rybakina delivered another bomb that Sabalenka couldn’t put into play, the world No. 1 looked about to smash her racket but then thought for the best.
Rybakina remained unmoved and celebrated with the smallest of fist pumps after serving out the set, 6-4.
Neither had dropped a set en route to the final, and Rybakina had drawn first blood.
© Kelly Defina/Getty Images
Stung, Sabalenka fired herself up with a shout of “Let’s go!” after unleashing a forehand to earn a break point in Rybakina’s first service game of the second, although the fifth seed saved it with a clinical volley.
Two more break points came and went as the light-footed world number five produced flawless groundstroke winners, leaving Sabalenka berating himself after Rybakina closed out the 10-minute service game.
Two of the most aggressive ball-strikers in the sport went toe-to-toe from the baseline and delivered breathtaking exchanges at the net, both unwilling to surrender on serve, but at 5-6 Rybakina fell into a 0-40 deficit, and Sabalenka grabbed her first set point with a formidable passing forehand, forcing an error from her opponent to send the match to a decider.
Carrying that momentum into the third, world No. 1 Rybakina quickly broke for a 2-0 lead, and after Sabalenka successfully defended a break point in the next game by smashing a forehand winner, he let out a powerful roar.
However, Rybakina was far from done and hit some of her best winners of the night before beating Sabalenka in the fifth game to put the match back on even terms.
The top seed had a chance to break straight back after a 129km/h second serve from Rybakina, but sent her backhand response wide.
When Rybakina had the same opportunity in the next match, the fifth seed stepped on Sabalenka’s 90mph second serve and broke for a 4-3 lead, leaving the Belarusian looking tense and shocked.
Although Sabalenka managed to hold her serve with some ease in the 9th game, Rybakina stepped up to the plate to serve it out, and on championship point she fittingly sealed it with an ace.
Top seed Aryna Sabalenka let a lead slip in the third set to lose Saturday’s AO final to Elena Rybakina
© Martin Keep/AFP via Getty Images
Playing under the closed roof of Rod Laver Arena, the 26-year-old needed 2 hours and 18 minutes to triumph in the trophy match, hitting 28 winners on her way to capturing her first AO crown and her second Grand Slam title.
In the keys to the final, both Sabalenka and Rybakina, who have snappy groundstrokes, saw relatively even play, but Rybakina hit her backhand 5 km/h faster than the world number 1, with an average of 116 km/h.
Speed was also telling in the forehand winners category, with Rybakina hitting the ball at a speed of 126 km/h.
When participating in this final, the winner would always be the player who could quickly jump on the counterattack, regardless of who was serving.
While Rybakina lost out on winners, 35 to 28, she dominated in the short rallies, winning 79 rallies in 4 shots or less, compared to Sabalenka’s 72, including 28 in the final set.
This also added to the power of Rybakina’s serve, forcing mistakes quickly with perfect serve placement.
The forced errors statistic was won by the player who won each set, with Rybakina ultimately leading the statistic 38 to 32.
Similar to the forced error statistic, the player who won the set also won the majority of his first serve points, helping Sabalenka claim the second set and win 95% of the points on the first serve.
However, Rybakina was better for longer, and her extended serving performance in the final set, despite being broken at 1-0, saw the AO 2026 champion win 81% of the points on her first serve, which was 28% higher than Sabalenka’s, and fittingly the Kazakh closed the match with her sixth ace.
Mental strength in the tight moments was a point of difference for the 26-year-old Kazakh, who won 24 pressure points against 15, while she also recovered from 0-3 down in the final set to secure victory.
With a ninth win against a world No. 1 in 15 matches, Rybakina’s winning percentage of 60% is the highest against the top-ranked WTA player in history, now surpassing Serena Williams’ 58.6% and Steffi Graf’s 57.9%.
The stunning aspect of this statistic is that among players with at least 50% wins against the world number 1, Rybakina is the only player who has never been world number 1 herself, but she is now moving up to number 3, which could be a sign of what will happen in 2026.
Elena Rybakina was kind with her words to a disappointed Aryna Sabalenka at the awards ceremony on Saturday
© David Gray/AFP via Getty Images
Calm under pressure and dominant when it mattered most, the Kazakh had held her nerve throughout the thrilling three-set battle, keeping her focus on her opponent, her team and the Melbourne crowd during an emotional on-court presentation.
The 2022 Wimbledon champion received the Daphne Akhurst Memorial Cup from Jennifer Capriati, the 2001 and 2002 AO women’s singles champion.
“Yes, it is difficult to find words now,” Rybakina said on court. “Of course I would like to congratulate Aryna on her great results in recent years.
“I know it’s difficult, but I really hope we will play many more finals together. And also congratulations to your team; you have done a great job and made so many improvements.”
Sabalenka, gracious in defeat, had similar kind words for Rybakina, saying: “I do [to] I congratulate you on an incredible run and incredible tennis,” she said, before turning to her team with a smile and adding: “Let’s hope Daphne next year [is] It will be ours, right?”
The match had lived up to expectations, with both heavy blows and momentum swings throughout the two hours or so, and Rybakina was quick to acknowledge the role the crowd played in getting both players through the match.
“I want to thank you for the incredible atmosphere,” she said. “It’s been a struggle, and honestly, your support has kept us going. Thank you so much.
She also spoke warmly about the support she received from home throughout the tournament.
“Thank you very much to Kazakhstan. I felt the support from that corner very much,” Rybakina said. “Thank you to everyone who made this tournament possible.
“Thank you to Tennis Australia, and of course Craig, for making us feel so welcome here,” she added. “It’s a very happy Slam. I always enjoy coming here and playing for you.”
The trophies were presented to Elena Rybakina and Aryna Sabalenka by two-time AO champion Jennifer Capriati
© Martin Keep/AFP via Getty Images
Later, behind the scenes, Rybakina credited her team with helping them deal with challenges on and off the court during the season, especially around her coach, Stefano Vukov, who was banned from the sport this time last year for alleged controlling behavior but was reinstated.
Vukov continued his role, which coincided with Rybakina winning both the WTA Finals and now the Australian Open, as well as titles in Asia prior to Riyadh.
“Of course I want to thank my team,” she said. “Without you, this would not be possible. We have been through a lot and I am very happy that we have achieved this result together. I would like to thank you all and hopefully we can stay strong this year.”
She also paid tribute to the tournament’s medical staff and those who supported her career off the field.
“I would like to express my gratitude to the medical team here; they always do an excellent job,” Rybakina added. “Thank you also to my sponsors, and to everyone who always comes to support us.”
Rybakina highlighted the wider success of Kazakhstani tennis at the event and expressed her pride in the performance of her fellow players during the tournament.
“Today we had a few more matches with players from Kazakhstan, and I am really proud,” she said. “Hopefully we can continue our great work.”
The win makes Rybakina just the sixth player in the Open Era to win her first two majors on grass and hard courts, following Amelie Mauresmo, Lindsay Davenport, Maria Sharapova, Martina Hingis and Venus Williams.
She is also the first player to secure the AO women’s singles crown by defeating three Top 10 players since Naomi Osaka in 2019.
With her 6-4 4-6 6-4 victory over Sabalenka, Rybakina leaves Melbourne Park as Australian Open champion, reaffirming her place at the top of the women’s game.
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