Elena Rybakina became the new champion of the Australian Open after winning the women’s singles title at Melbourne Park on Saturday night. The fifth seed defeated world No.1 Aryna Sabalenka in an exciting three-set final, winning 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 at Rod Laver Arena. The match lasted two hours and 18 minutes and was played under a closed roof.
THE MOMENT ELENA RYBAKINA BEAT ARYNA SABALENKA AT THE AUSTRALIAN OPEN TO WIN HER 2ND GRAND SLAM TITLE
She’s now won TEN consecutive matches against top 10 players
Absolutely insane what this young lady is capable of
No words… just scenes.
🥹🥹🥹🥹
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) January 31, 2026
This victory was especially meaningful for Rybakina, who had lost to Sabalenka in the Australian Open final three years ago. This time, she stayed calm and focused to finally lift the trophy. Rybakina hit 28 winners during the match and showed great control in key moments. The win gave her first Australian Open title and her second Grand Slam title overall, after her Wimbledon triumph in 2022.
Huge congrats to Elena Rybakina she has beaten Aryna Sabalenka in a thrilling final! Sabalenka was 3-0 up in the deciding set but Rybakina never gave in and took her game to a next level.
Both amazing players and great people, great adverts for the sport.pic.twitter.com/bmWzZUm3hz
— Pavvy G (@pavyg) January 31, 2026
The final was the 15th meeting between the two players and was another high-quality battle. Rybakina won the first set 6-4, but Sabalenka fought back strongly to take the second set. In the deciding set, Sabalenka took an early lead, but Rybakina refused to give up. She broke Sabalenka’s serve and levelled the match before moving ahead at 4-3.
With the crowd cheering loudly, Rybakina held her nerve in the final games. On championship point, she sealed the biggest win of her career with a powerful ace. Sabalenka pushed hard throughout the match but could not stop Rybakina’s strong serving and clean hitting.
The trophy was presented to Rybakina by former Australian Open champion Jennifer Capriati. With this win, Rybakina became only the sixth player in the Open Era to win her first two Grand Slam titles on different surfaces, grass and hard court. She also became the first woman since Naomi Osaka in 2019 to win the Australian Open by defeating three top-10 players in the same tournament.
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