Rybakina stuns Sabalenka to lift maiden Australian Open title

Elena Rybakina stunned World Number 1 Aryna Sabalenka with a gritty third-set fightback to win her first Australian Open title. The fifth seed Kazakh was 3-0 down in the final set with Sabalenka looking set for a fifth major singles trophy.

However, Rybakina won five successive games before completing a 6-4 4-6 6-4 victory to avenge her loss to two-time winner Sabalenka in the 2023 final. This was US Open champion Sabalenka's third defeat in her past four major finals following disappointing losses in last year's Australian Open and French Open showpieces.

The Belarusian had broken Rybakina's impressive serve late in the second set and again early in the decider to take control in her bid for a third Australian Open title in four years. But Sabalenka surrendered her advantage, tightening as the finish line drew closer and producing three unforced errors to allow Rybakina to break for a second time.

Rybakina then maintained her composure to serve out the match with an ace and claim her second major trophy following her 2022 Wimbledon triumph.

Rybakina neutralised Sabalenka's trademark power with clean ball-striking and clutch serving before digging deep in the deciding set. Sabalenka has spent 75 weeks at the top of the rankings and remains the dominant player in the women's game, particularly on hard courts. But Rybakina has won seven of their past nine hard court encounters.

Having appeared on course for an impressive comeback win, Sabalenka sat with her towel over her head as she tried to come to terms with yet another final that had slipped from her grasp.

Rybakina, who overpowered world number two Iga Swiatek and sixth seed Jessica Pegula on her way to the final, has now won her past 10 matches against fellow top-10 players and is the first player to claim the title by defeating three top-10 players in each round from the quarter-finals onwards since Naomi Osaka in 2019.

The final set aside, both players were dominant on serve with only three of the first 19 games featuring break point opportunities. Rybakina made her intentions clear with an immediate break on Rod Laver Arena, coming back from 0-30 down on the Sabalenka serve to register the perfect start. The Kazakh dropped just three points across her opening three service games and dismissed two break points with successive, accurate first serves to hold for a 5-3 lead before closing out the opener.

Seeking an immediate response, Sabalenka applied further pressure at the start of set two, but an unshakeable Rybakina served her way out of three break points. Sabalenka forced three more break points with Rybakina serving to stay in the set, and seized her chance to force a decider.