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Ice-cool Rybakina beats Sabalenka in tense Australian Open final

tennis31 January 2026 11:16| © AFP
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Elena Rybakina took revenge over world No 1 Aryna Sabalenka to win a nail-biting Australian Open final Saturday and clinch her second Grand Slam title.

Order of Play | Watch Live on DStv

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The big-serving Kazakh fifth seed held her nerve to pull through 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 at Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne in 2hrs 18mins.

It was payback after the Belarusian Sabalenka won the 2023 final between two of the hardest hitters in women's tennis.

The ice-cool Rybakina, 26, who was born in Moscow, adds her Melbourne triumph to her Wimbledon win in 2022.

It was more disappointment in a major final for Sabalenka, who won the US Open last year for the second time but lost the French Open and Melbourne title deciders.

She was into her fourth Australian Open final in a row and had been imperious until now, with tears in her eyes at the end.

With the roof on because of drizzle in Melbourne, Rybakina immediately broke serve and then comfortably held for 2-0.

Rybakina faced two break points at 4-3, but found her range with her serve to send down an ace and dig herself out of trouble, leaving Sabalenka visibly frustrated.

Rybakina looked in the zone and wrapped up the set in 37 minutes on her first set point when Sabalenka fired long.

Incredibly, it was the first set Sabalenka had dropped in 2026.

The second game of the second set was tense, Rybakina saving three break points in a 10-minute arm-wrestle.

They went with serve and the seventh game was another tussle, Sabalenka holding for 4-3 after the best rally of a cagey affair.

The tension ratcheted up and the top seed quickly forged three set points at 5-4 on the Kazakh's serve, ruthlessly levelling the match at the first chance to force a deciding set.

Sabalenka was now in the ascendancy and smacked a scorching backhand to break for a 2-0 lead, then holding for 3-0.

Rybakina, who also had not dropped a set in reaching the final, looked unusually rattled.

She reset to hold, then wrestled back the break, allowing herself the merest of smiles.

At 3-3 the title threatened to swing either way.

But a surging Rybakina won a fourth game in a row to break for 4-3, then held to put a thrilling victory within sight.

Rybakina sealed the championship with her sixth ace of the match.

The finalists were familiar foes having met 14 times previously, with Sabalenka winning eight of them.

Sabalenka came into the final as favourite but Rybakina has been one of the form players on the women's tour in recent months.

She also defeated Sabalenka in the decider at the season-ending WTA Finals.

Rybakina beat second seed Iga Swiatek in the quarterfinals and sixth seed Jessica Pegula in the last four in Melbourne.

Rybakina switched to play under the Kazakh flag in 2018 when she was a little-known 19-year-old, citing financial reasons.

ELENA RYBAKINA'S PATH TO HER FIRST AUSTRALIAN OPEN TITLE ON SATURDAY

Elena Rybakina (KAZ x5) bt Aryna Sabalenka (BLR X1)

1st rd: bt Kaja Juvan (SLO) 6-4, 6-3

2nd rd: bt Varvara Gracheva (FRA) 7-5, 6-2

3rd rd: bt Tereza Valentova (CZE) 6-2, 6-3

4th rd: bt Elise Mertens (BEL x21) 6-1, 6-3

QF: bt Iga Swiatek (POL x2) 7-5, 6-1

SF: bt Jessica Pegula (USA x6) 6-3, 7-6 (9/7)

F: bt Aryna Sabalenka (BLR x1) 6-4, 4-6, 6-4

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