Rybakina takes down No. 1 Sabalenka to win Aussie Open title

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Elena Rybakina won the Australian Open title with a 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 victory over top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka on Saturday that avenged her loss in the championship decider here in 2023.

Three years ago she won the first set but lost the final in three.

This time, after breaking in the first game and taking the first set, she rallied after losing the second set and going down 3-0 in the third. She won five straight games to regain control and served it out, closing with an ace on her first championship point.

It was a second major title for fifth-seeded Rybakina, who won Wimbledon in 2022 and entered that Australian final four years ago as the only major winner in the contest.

While Sabalenka went on to win another three majors, including back-to-back triumphs in Australia and the 2024 and ’25 victories at the U.S. Open, Rybakina’s results dipped and she didn’t reach another major final until this tournament.

A win over Sabalenka at the season-ending WTA Finals last November has changed her career trajectory. Going into the final, she’d had the most match wins on tour since Wimbledon and has now won 20 of her last 21 matches.

Rybakina was born in Moscow but represents Kazakhstan, and the national flag was unfurled for photos on the court as she paraded the trophy around.

“It’s hard to find words now. Of course I want to congrats Aryna on her amazing results for a couple of years,” the 26-year-old Rybakina said. “I just hope we’re going to play many more finals together. It was a battle. Honestly.”

She also thanked her coaching team that includes Stefano Vukov, who spent time under suspension last year by the women’s tour. Rybakina has credited him with helping improve her game, and Vukov received a silver plate from the tournament organizers for being the champion’s coach.

“We had a lot of things going on. I’m really glad we achieved this result,” Rybakina said of her support crew. “Hopefully we can keep going strong this year.”

For Sabalenka, it’s back-to-back losses in the final in Australia after going down in an upset last year to Madison Keys.

“Let’s hope next year is a better (result) for me!” Sabalenka said.

Rybakina went on the attack from the start and her serve was strong, with six aces and — apart from the two breaks at the end of the second set and the start of the third — she fended off six of the breakpoint chances she faced.

While Sabalenka’s grunts and roars intensified and her effusive “let’s go” self-encouragement increased in regularity as the match wore on, Rybakina maintained a quiet, almost serene, composure.

In the end, she let her serve and her returns do the talking.

The pair hugged at the net. Rybakina clapped her left hand on the strings of her racket and held her arm up to the crowd triumphantly.

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AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis