Rybakina’s Serene Surge Claims Australian Open Crown
From a shaky third-set start, Elena Rybakina turned composure into conquest, outlasting Aryna Sabalenka’s roar in a final that settled old scores on Melbourne’s hard courts.
MELBOURNE, Australia—Elena Rybakina walked into Rod Laver Arena carrying the echo of a near-miss from 2023. She broke Aryna Sabalenka right away, her flat serves cutting through the thick air with six aces that pinned the world No. 1 back. The 6-4 first set landed like a statement, Rybakina’s crosscourt returns forcing errors on Sabalenka’s second delivery.
Early edge sharpens into tension
Rybakina’s groundstrokes stayed low and penetrating, mixing inside-out forehands that opened the court wide. Sabalenka, defender of back-to-back titles here in 2024 and 2025, pushed forward with heavy topspin, but her first-serve percentage wavered under the pressure. The Kazakh held firm, facing no break points in that opener, as the crowd’s murmurs built into a hum of anticipation.
As the second set turned, Sabalenka’s power found its groove. She broke twice late, her 1–2 patterns—serve followed by a down-the-line forehand—cracking Rybakina’s rhythm and leveling the match at 6-4. The Belarusian’s grunts grew sharper, her “let’s go” calls slicing through the arena, while Rybakina absorbed the shift with quiet nods to her box.
Third-set storm tests resolve
Down 3-0 in the decider, Rybakina stared at the brink of another collapse, much like that 2023 final where she dropped the third after grabbing the first. But the momentum from her WTA Finals win over Sabalenka last November fueled a turnaround. She reeled off five straight games, stepping inside the baseline for aggressive returns that neutralized the top seed’s baseline bombs.
Sabalenka’s roars turned frantic as opportunities slipped, her inside-in forehands landing long under the mounting pressure. Rybakina fended off six of the break points she faced overall, her kick serves kicking up just enough to buy time in the humid evening. The arena’s energy swung with her, the split crowd now leaning into each point she clawed back.
Ace seals avenged triumph
On her first championship point, Rybakina fired an ace that kissed the line, dropping briefly to her knees before rising for a net embrace. This 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 victory marked her second major, echoing her Wimbledon run in 2022 and flipping the script on Sabalenka’s three Slams since that prior Melbourne clash, including U.S. Open crowns in 2024 and ‘25. Her serene focus let the racket do the talking, clapping the strings skyward as the crowd’s roar washed over her.
With this hard-court breakthrough, Rybakina eases into a season of promise, her trajectory bending toward more finals on varied surfaces ahead.