Elena Rybakina is the newest queen of Melbourne Park, finally earning the crown she was denied by Aryna Sabalenka three years ago.
The fifth seed captured the Australian Open 2026 women’s singles title, triumphing in a gripping 6-4 4-6 6-4 final over the world No.1 on Saturday night.
Under a closed roof at Rod Laver Arena, the 26-year-old Kazakh took two hours and 18 minutes to prevail in the championship match, striking 28 winners en route to capturing her maiden AO crown and second Grand Slam title.
The 2022 Wimbledon champion was presented with the Daphne Akhurst Memorial Cup by Jennifer Capriati, the AO women’s singles champion in 2001 and 2002.
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“It was a battle,” said Rybakina, the first Kazakh player to win an Australian Open singles title. “I’m really proud.”
“It’s really a Happy Slam.”
The 26-year-old shared gratitude for her team.
“I’m really glad that we achieved this result … hopefully we can keep on going strong this year,” said Rybakina.
The world No.5 also congratulated Sabalenka for a phenomenal performance after she made her fourth-straight AO final.
“I know it’s tough, but I just hope that we’re going to play many more finals together," she said.
Sabalenka, gracious in defeat, had similarly kind words for Rybakina.
“I want [to] congratulate you on an incredible run, incredible tennis,” she said, before turning to her team with a smile.
“Let’s hope that next year, Daphne [is] going to be ours, right?”
Entering Saturday night’s clash as the first women’s singles players to reach a major final without having dropped a set since Wimbledon 2008 and the first to do so at Melbourne Park since AO 2004, neither Rybakina nor Sabalenka had any interest of tarnishing their unblemished record.
In their 15th career meeting and a rematch of the epic three-set AO 2023 women’s singles final that was won by Sabalenka, Rybakina had another outcome in mind.
The fifth seed broke Sabalenka in her opening service game and immediately consolidated, courtesy of the clean, powerful shot-making that enabled her to upset second seed Iga Swiatek in the quarterfinals.
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Serving at 4-3, the 26-year-old Rybakina saved two break points: the first with an ace, and the second with a 182km/h serve out wide that foiled Sabalenka, who threw her arms up in frustration. After Rybakina served another bomb that Sabalenka was unable to put in play, the world No.1 raised her racquet as though to smash it before regrouping.
Rybakina, typically impassive on court, celebrated with a small fist pump after serving out the set at 6-4.
The Kazakh had sealed the first set of that AO 2023 final with the same scoreline before Sabalenka staged a comeback. Three years later, could it happen again?
Sabalenka certainly hoped so, and was eager to preserve her streak of avoiding straight-sets losses at majors since the 2020 US Open.
The 27-year-old fired herself up with a scream of “Let’s go!” after unleashing on a forehand to earn a break point in Rybakina’s first service game, though the fifth seed saved it with a clinical volley. Two more break points came and went as the light-footed world No.5 produced impeccable groundstroke winners that left Sabalenka berating herself after Rybakina closed out the 10-minute service game.
Two of the sport’s most aggressive ball-strikers went toe-to-toe from the baseline and delivered gasp-inducing exchanges at the net, both unwilling to surrender on serve.
But serving at 5-6, Rybakina fell into a 0-40 deficit. Sabalenka seized her first set point with a formidable passing forehand, forcing an error from her opponent to propel the match into a decider.
Carrying that momentum into the third set, the world No.1 rapidly broke Rybakina for a 2-0 lead and after successfully defending a break point in the very next game by crushing a forehand winner, Sabalenka let out a mighty roar to match her tattoo and cheers from fans cheering on their “tiger.”
But Rybakina was by no means done. The fifth seed struck a pair of her finest winners of the night before breaking Sabalenka in the fifth game. Suddenly, the match was back on even-footing.
The world No.1 had a chance to break straight back on a 129km/h second serve from Rybakina, but sent a backhand return wide.
When Rybakina had the same opportunity in the next game, the fifth seed stepped in on Sabalenka’s 144km/h second serve and broke for a 4-3 lead.
The top seed comfortably held serve in the ninth game to put the title on the world No.5’s racquet.
As Rod Laver Arena filled with thunderous cheers in recognition of the moment, Rybakina stepped up to the baseline on championship point and fittingly, sealed it with an ace.
The victory makes Rybakina just the sixth player in the Open Era to earn her first two majors on grass and hard court after Amelie Mauresmo, Lindsay Davenport, Maria Sharapova, Maria Hingis and Venus Williams.
She’s also just the first player to secure the AO women’s singles crown by defeating three top 10 players since Naomi Osaka in 2019.