Elena Rybakina avenged her 2023 Australian Open final loss to Aryna Sabalenka with a three-set triumph Saturday to claim her first crown in Melbourne.<\/b>
\nJan. 31 Elena Rybakina avenged her 2023 Australian Open final loss to Aryna Sabalenka with a three-set triumph Saturday to claim her first crown in Melbourne.
The Russia native, who represents Kazakhstan, uncorked a 114-mph ace for championship point in the 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 victory at Rod Laver Arena. Rybakina, who will climb from No. 5 to No. 3 in the WTA singles rankings, totaled six aces and 28 winners, while converting 3 of 6 break point chances in the 2-hour, 18-minute thriller.
She earned a $4.15 million first-place prize for her second Grand Slam title.
«We had a lot of things going on and I’m really glad we achieved this result», Rybakina said on the ESPN broadcast. «. Hopefully we can keep on going strong this year.»
Both tennis stars advanced to the final without dropping a set through their first six matches of the first Grand Slam of the season. That trend halted immediately in the matchup of heavy hitters, with Rybakina breaking the top-ranked Belarusian in the first set.
Rybakina parlayed that break into a 2-0 lead and held serve for the remainder of the set for an early edge. Each player held through the first nine games of the second set. Sabalenka then converted her first break to claim set point and tie the final.
The Belarusian seethed with competitive fury and appeared on track to win a third Australian crown in four years before she unraveled down the stretch.
Sabalenka held for the opening game point. She then broke Rybakina en route to a 3-0 lead. But Rybakina kept calm, stretching the court with wide hits to keep Sabalenka scrambling. She won the next five games, with two breaks, to take a 5-3 edge.
Sabalenka held in the ninth game, but Rybakina took over for her final service, with championship point on her racket. She finished the final game with her sizzling ace, which cruised inches over the right side of the net and bounced out of Sabalenka’s reach.
«I’m really speechless right now», Sabalenka said. «I want to congratulate you on an incredible run and incredible tennis. Congrats to you and your team on such an incredible achievement.»
Sabalenka totaled five aces and 35 winners. She converted just 2 of 8 break point chances. She earned $1.45 million for her runner-up run at Melbourne Park.
No. 4 Novak Djokovic of Serbia will battle No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz of Spain in the men’s singles final at 3:30 a.m. EST Sunday in Melbourne. That match also will air on ESPN.<\/p>\n