Elena Rybakina relishes return to tennis’ top table with Australian Open triumph

By Eleanor Crooks, Press Association Sport Correspondent, Melbourne

Elena Rybakina relished being back at the top of the women’s game after winning her power battle with Aryna Sabalenka to claim a first Australian Open title.

Three years after losing to the same opponent in one of the great recent grand slam finals, and three-and-a-half since winning her first major title at Wimbledon, Rybakina cemented her status as the most in-form player in the women’s game.

Her 6-4 4-6 6-4 victory was her 10th in a row over a fellow top-10 player, three of which have come back-to-back here, and on Monday she will equal her career-high ranking of world number three.

The surprise is that it has taken her so long to get back there, but Rybakina showed in beating Iga Swiatek, Jessica Pegula and world number one Sabalenka that she will be a force to be reckoned with in 2026.

“I always believed that I can come back to the level I was,” she said. “Of course, we all have ups and downs. I think everyone thought maybe I will never be again in the final or even get a trophy, but it’s all about the work.

“I think we’ve been putting a lot of work in with the team and they were also very supportive. In the moments when I was maybe not that positive, they would be helping out on the side.

“Of course, when you are getting some wins, big wins against top players, then you start to believe more, you get more confident. Hopefully I can be stable again throughout the whole season and keep on showing great tennis, good results.”

The outcome is another bitter pill to swallow for Sabalenka, who led 3-0 in the deciding set.

SECOND SLAM SECURED 💪

Elena Rybakina defeats Sabalenka 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 to claim her first Australian Open title! #AO26 pic.twitter.com/Pxj6A0qHJy

— wta (@WTA) January 31, 2026

Having won back-to-back titles in Melbourne in 2023 and 2024, Sabalenka has now lost close finals two years in a row after Madison Keys got the better of her 12 months ago.

Last year she lost five of her nine finals, including bitterly to Coco Gauff at the French Open and to Rybakina at the WTA Finals, and, while she claimed a fourth slam title at the US Open, the pattern is undeniable.

Sabalenka, who has now lost half of her eight slam finals, insisted there have been improvements, saying: “I take each loss individually.

“Obviously it was different players almost every time and different problems that I was facing during the match, different mistakes. Some of them were great matches, I played incredible.

“Overall it was much better than last year, the two (slam) finals I lost. Level-wise and the decisions that I was making and the way that the mentality was throughout the whole match that I was still there, I was ready to fight, I knew that she’s not going to give it easily to me.

“So I think overall I made a huge improvement on that and I still lost it. But it’s OK. I feel like I’m moving towards the right direction.”

The match was played under the roof because of damp conditions in Melbourne and it was Rybakina who landed the first big blows with an immediate break of the Sabalenka serve.

The Belarusian managed her frustrations well in the second set before seizing her opportunity to level the match in the 10th game.

When she extended her winning run to five games to lead 3-0 in the decider, it appeared the trophy was close, but Rybakina began to land her heavy returns and Sabalenka was unable to keep her composure.

After clinching victory with her sixth ace, Rybakina celebrated in typically understated fashion with a clench of the fist.

A factor in Rybakina’s dip over the past couple of years has been the allegations against her coach, Stefano Vukov, of abusive behaviour towards her.

The Croatian, who has always denied any wrongdoing, was given a year’s suspension by the WTA last season, but it was lifted on appeal in August, with Rybakina staunchly defending Vukov throughout.

Whatever the rights and wrongs of the case, there is no doubt her results have picked up since he returned, culminating last year in victory at the WTA Finals and now this title.

Rybakina praised her coaching team after picking up the trophy, saying: “We had a lot of things going on and I’m really glad we achieved this result.”