Rybakina shocks Sabalenka to win Australian Open tennis final

Fifth seed Elena Rybakina wins the Australian Open tennis final, beating world number one Aryna Sabalenka in Melbourne.Published On 31 Jan 2026Elena Rybakina produced a thunderous display to dismantle ‍Aryna Sabalenka ‍6-4 4-6 6-4 on Saturday and capture a maiden Australian Open title, turning the tables on the world number one in their Melbourne-park" class="entity-link entity-location" data-entity-id="4991" data-entity-type="location">Melbourne Park final rematch ⁠from three years ago.Rybakina returned to the site of her heartbreak in 2023 to complete an impressive victory and earn her second major trophy after Wimbledon 2022, underlining her credentials as the player best equipped to puncture Sabalenka’s hardcourt aura.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4All to know about the ICC T20 World Cup 2026 stadiumslist 2 of 4Vonn says Winter Olympics comeback dream ‘not over’ despite injury in crashlist 3 of 4Bangladesh approves shooting team India tour, days after T20 World Cup banlist 4 of 4T20 World Cup 2026: Teams, format, venues and full match scheduleend of listThe 26-year-old Kazakh capped ⁠a fortnight of relentless efficiency while largely flying under the radar, adding the Daphne Akhurst Memorial Cup to a resume that ​also includes the 2025 WTA Finals crown, where she downed Sabalenka.“It’s hard to find words now but ‍I want to congratulate Aryna for her amazing results in the last couple of years. I hope we’re going to play many more finals together,” Rybakina said.“I want to say thank you to you guys (fans). Thank you so much to Kazakhstan. I felt the support from that ‍corner a lot. It’s ⁠really a Happy Slam and I always enjoy coming here and playing in front of you guys.”Aryna Sabalenka was seeking a third Australian Open title at Melbourne-park" class="entity-link entity-location" data-entity-id="4991" data-entity-type="location">Melbourne Park [Phil Walter/Getty Images]In the first Grand Slam final since ​2008 featuring players yet to drop a set, it ‍was top seed Sabalenka who blinked first under the Rod Laver Arena roof as Rybakina came out all guns blazing to break in ‍the opening ⁠game and wrest control.The fifth seed’s huge ball-striking caused all sorts of problems for twice champion Sabalenka, as she comfortably got to set point in the 10th game and finished it off to send alarm bells ringing in her opponent’s dugout.