A power-packed showdown awaits as Aryna Sabalenka takes on big-serving Elena Rybakina in the women’s Australian Open final on Saturday.
Two players who haven’t lost a set in the last two weeks in Melbourne will be up against each other. It’s a rematch of the 2023 title decider at Rod Laver Arena, and they have met in 14 matches before, so they know each other very well.
That time, the Belarusian Sabalenka overcame a set behind to win her first Grand Slam title. The world number one won it once more in 2024, but the American Madison Keys upset her in the final last year, preventing her from making a hat-trick.
Sabalenka anticipates a fierce battle when she faces the Kazakh Rybakina in her fourth consecutive Melbourne final.
“Her shots are heavy, deep, flat balls. It’s not easy to work with, but we have a great history,” AFP quoted the 27-year-old, who defeated Ukraine’s Elina Svitolina in the semi-finals, as saying.
“She’s an incredible player,” she added of the Moscow-born Rybakina, whose only major title so far is Wimbledon in 2022.
“We had a lot of great battles, a lot of finals we played. I’m looking forward to battling this power,” the top seed added with a smile.
Sabalenka, who won all 11 of her matches in 2026 without losing a set, is in fantastic form going into the final. She is the current US Open winner, demonstrating her skill on hard courts, and she won the Brisbane championship prior to moving to Melbourne.
After being well beaten on Thursday, Svitolina said that Sabalenka was “on fire”. “She feels very comfortable here on these courts. Of course she won here a couple of times, so I think she has this confidence playing here,” she added.
Although Sabalenka will be the favorite, Rybakina, 26, is actually favored in previous past. Although Sabalenka has an 8-6 head-to-head record, Rybakina prevailed in straight sets in their most recent meeting, which took place in the WTA Finals decider in Saudi Arabia in November.
Rybakina is likewise enjoying a tremendous run of form of her own. Her sole loss in 14 games came in the quarterfinals in Brisbane. Iga Swiatek, ranked second in the world, and Jessica Pegula, ranked sixth, are among her victims. She has been quietly impressive in Melbourne.
Pegula described the Kazakh as “cool as a cucumber” and provided insight into what it is like to deal with her.
“She’s always just tough. You know, she’s so chill. She doesn’t really give you anything. You’re not really sure if she’s upset or if she’s excited or what it is. I think in today’s game that goes a long way,” said the American after going down 6-3, 7-6 (9/7) in the semi-finals.
In addition, Rybakina’s serve is the biggest in women’s tennis. She has sent down 41 aces at the competition, much more than anybody else in the women’s draw. Rybakina claimed that both she and Sabalenka have developed as players since their 2023 Australian final. But their power remains the same.
“Since we are both very aggressive players, serve is important. Hopefully the serve is going to help me on Saturday, but even if it’s not, I’m going to still try to find my way. (I will) fight till the end, and hopefully this time it’s going to go my way,” said Rybakina.
