January 26, (THEWILL) – Elena Rybakina defeated Victoria Azarenka in straight sets to advance to her first Australian Open final.
Azarenka, going for her third title in Melbourne, secured the first break of the match in the fifth game, but Rybakina responded instantly, winning three games in a row to serve for the set. Azarenka battled back to level things up at 5-5, but then failed to break from 0-40 and Rybakina took the set in a tie-breaker.
In the second set, Rybakina secured a double break and never looked back, going on to seal a 7-6(4) 6-3 victory. The 22nd seed was pleased with her performance, stating “I’m very happy and proud…It’s good that I know [how to handle big matches], especially for the final.”
With this win, Rybakina ensures that there will be a first-time women’s winner of the Australian Open. Throughout the tournament, Rybakina has been hugely impressive, only dropping one set and leading the women’s draw in aces.
She will look to back up her Wimbledon victory last summer with a second Grand Slam title when she faces off against either Aryna Sabalenka or Magda Linette in the final.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
