January 31, (THEWILL) — Elena Rybakina claimed her second Grand Slam singles title on Friday night, defeating Aryna Sabalenka 6-4 4-6 6-4 in the Australian Open final at Melbourne Park. The fifth seed overcame the top seed in a contest dominated by powerful serving, with crucial momentum swings determining the outcome.
Sabalenka’s opening service game proved costly despite a strong first-serve percentage of 68 percent in the first set. She lost that initial game after landing seven first serves from eight points, handing Rybakina an early break. The Kazakh player then held firm under pressure, winning both deuce points she faced whilst serving, compared with Sabalenka losing both of hers.
When the top seed earned two break points at 4-3, Rybakina responded with three consecutive unreturnable first serves, shutting down any comeback hopes. The second set saw Sabalenka suddenly come alive at 4-4, winning eight straight points to snatch the frame. She won 18 of 19 first-serve points in that set, forcing errors from Rybakina and using penetrating groundstrokes to take control.
The Belarusian extended her run to five consecutive games, moving ahead 3-0 in the decider and appearing on course for victory. Rybakina then produced her own decisive surge, reeling off five games in succession to lead 5-3. Sabalenka, who had rarely utilised drop shots or approached the net despite superior transition skills, managed just six net points across the opening two sets.
Sabalenka’s belated attempts to introduce variety came too late, and a critical forehand error into the net allowed Rybakina to seize back momentum. The win returns Rybakina to world number three, her first major title since Wimbledon 2022.
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.
