Rybakina Wins Australian Open With Poise And Inner Calm

MELBOURNE/WASHINGTON, January 31, 2026 (by Michael Dickens)

Elena Rybakina was nothing if not resilient throughout the Australian Open. She was poised and calm under pressure against World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka from first ball to last ball in the women’s final under a closed roof on Rod Laver Arena Saturday evening.

By the conclusion of their two-hour, 18-minute title match, filled with thunderous cheers from the fans, the World No. 5 Rybakina and Sabalenka were dead-even in total points at 92-all.

In a battle of ball strikers, who were meeting for the 15th time, this time Rybakina triumphed in the end. She won 6-4, 4-6, 6-4, and with the victory, earned her first Australian Open title. It was a reversal of their 2023 AO final, which Sabalenka won 4-6, 6-3, 6-4.

The 26-year-old Rybakina, who was born in Russia but represents Kazakhstan, overcame a 3-0 break lead by Sabalenka to draw even at 3-all in the final set. Then, Rybakina broke her opponent to go ahead 4-3. By the end of 51-minute final set, she sealed her second major overall – cold-blooded – with her sixth service ace out wide for game, set, match and championship. Soon, after Sabalenka had won five straight games from the end of the second set through the start of the third – and seemingly had the swing of momentum on her side – Rybakina rallied brilliantly. She captured the final five games of the title match.

Following a celebratory hug at the net, Rybakina and Sabalenka went their separate ways until it was time to reunite for the trophy ceremony. The new champion – all smiles – raced across the court to celebrate with her team, while the 27-year-old Belarusian sat alone at her bench with a white towel draped over her head, the epitome of the agony of defeat.

Soon, Rybakina, who won the 2022 Wimbledon Championships crown, received the Daphne Akhurst Memorial Cup from American Jennifer Capriati, the AO women’s singles champion in 2001-02.

“It was a battle,” Rybakina said after becoming the first player from Kazakhstan to win an AO singles title. “I’m really proud.

“It’s really a Happy Slam.”

Rybakina, who has started the 2026 season by going 9-1, thanked her team. “I’m really glad that we achieved this result … hopefully we can keep on going strong this year,” she said.

“It’s a win for all the team, all the people who support me,” she added. “I just hope that I can carry this moment throughout the whole season and keep on improving.”

In offering congratulations to Sabalenka, who was making her fourth-straight Australian Open final appearance, Rybakina said: “I know it’s tough, but I just hope that we’re going to play many more finals together.”

Sabalenka, who won consecutive AO finals in 2023-24 but has lost the last two, showed her graciousness in defeat.

“I want [to] congratulate you on an incredible run, incredible tennis,” she said of Rybakina. Then, it speaking to her team, Sabalenka said “Let’s hope that next year, Daphne [is] going to be ours, right?”

Later, during her news conference, Sabalenka said: “I think overall I played great tennis here in Australia. Even in this final I feel like I played great. I was fighting. I did my best, and today she was a better player.”

Rybakina finished the final with 28 winners to 25 unforced errors, compared to 35 winners and 26 unforced errors by Sabalenka. She won 76 percent (41 of 54) of her first-serve points and converted three of six break points, while Sabalenka won 75 percent (40 of 53) of her first-serve points and broke Rybakina’s serve twice in eight attempts.

After garnering the year-end WTA Finals title in Riyadh last November, during a season that included the suspension of her coach Stefano Vukov, Rybakina continued her winning ways in Melbourne. Through the duration of the fortnight, she reached the final without dropping a set, while knocking off a pair of Top-10 players: World No. 2 Iga Swiatek in the quarterfinals and World No. 6 Jessica Pegula in the semifinals. Only the No. 1 seed Sabalenka was able to take a set off the fifth-seeded Rybakina.

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

Come Monday, after winning 20 of her last 21 matches – including going 10-0 against Top 10 players, Rybakina will rise to World No. 3 in the WTA Tour Rankings, tying her career-high ranking, while Sabalenka remains at the top of the rankings.

Saturday’s Australian Open results

Sunday’s Australian Open order of play

Mertens and Zhang reunite to win AO women’s doubles title

Belgium’s Elise Mertens will return to the No. 1 ranking in women’s doubles after she and Zhang Shuai of China won the Australian Open title on Rod Laver Arena Saturday afternoon.

Together again, after playing with other partners the past four years, the No. 4 seeds Mertens and Zhang beat No. 7 seeds Anna Danilina of Kazakhstan and Aleksandra Krunic of Serbia, 7-6 (4), 6-4, in an hour and 48 minutes. Mertens and Zhang led in the final set 5-0 before finally fending off their opponents.

It was Zhang’s second AO doubles title after winning in 2019 with Sam Stosur and third major crown overall, while Mertens has now won six major doubles titles – including three at the Australian Open. She won in 2021 with Aryna Sabalenka, in 2024 with Hsieh Su-Wei and now this year with Zhang.

“This is like cherry on the cake,” Mertens said. “We paired up as a team very last-minute. … This was our first tournament back together. In the second round we saved three match points, so that kind of took us to another level. An unbelievable two weeks.”

Harrison and Skupski wins first major as a team

A year ago, Christian Harrison of the United States and Neal Skupski of Great Britain both competed at the ATP Finals – but with different partners (Harrison with Evan King, Skupski with Joe Salisbury). Then, they came together as a team in Adelaide earlier this month and enjoyed a semifinal run – 13 years after they first played together in a Futures event in Glasgow, Scotland, where the American/British duo promptly loss in the first round.

“We’ve upped our level since then,” Skupski, 36, quipped afterward.

In their first major together, Harrison and Skupski won the Australian Open men’s doubles title after the American served an ace on match point that gave the No. 6 seeds a 7-6 (4), 6-4 victory over Australian wild cards and home favorites Jason Kubler and Marc Polmans in an hour and 49 minutes on Rod Laver Arena Saturday afternoon.

“For me, it’s just simple,” the 30-year-old Harrison. “The trophies, the tournaments are just a nice bonus. I love playing. Honestly, I just love stepping on the court and just having a good atmosphere. That’s honestly what makes it just simple for me.”

Around the Australian Open

• Japan’s 19-year-old Tokito Oda made history by winning the men’s wheelchair singles title by defeating No. 3 seat Martin De la Puente of Spain, 3-6, 6-2, 6-2, in two hours and 18 minutes. Oda is the youngest man to concurrently hold all four major titles across any format of professional tennis. It was his second AO singles crown.

• No. 3 seed Li Xiaohui of China defeated 24-time major titlist Deidre de Groot of the Netherlands, 6-1, 6-2, in 50 minutes to win the women’s wheelchair singles title.

• Niels Vink of the Netherlands completed a career Grand Slam after defeating fellow Dutch and rival Sam Schroeder, 6-3, 7-6 (5), to win the quad wheelchair singles title.

• Alexander Lantermann won the junior boys’ wheelchair singles title, while Luna Gryp won the junior girls’ wheelchair crown. Both are from Belgium.

• The junior boys’ doubles title was won by Connor Doig of South Africa and Dimitar Kisimov of Bulgaria over Australian wild cards Ymerali Ibraimi and Cooper Kase.

• Top-seeded sisters Alena Kovackova and Jana Kovackova of Czechia won an all-Czech final against Tereza Hermanova and Denise Zoldakova to win the junior girls’ title.

• No. 7 seed Zika Sesko of Slovenia will play fourth-seeded American Keaton Hance in the junior boys’ final on Sunday. The junior girls’ final will pair Ekaterina Tupitsyna of Russia will face Ksenia Efremova of Czechia.

By the numbers

• Aryna Sabalenka and Elena Rybakina entered Saturday’s final as the first women’s singles player to reach a major final without having dropped a set since 2008 at Wimbledon – and the first at the Australian Open since 2004.

• By winning this year’s Australian Open title, Elena Rybakina improved to 2-1 in major finals. She joins Caroline Wozniacki as the only players in the last decade to win the WTA Finals and follow it by winning the women’s singles title at the Australian Open the next year.

• Elena Rybakina is just the sixth player in the Open Era to win her first two Grand Slam titles on grass and hard court, joining Amelie Mauresmo, Lindsay Davenport, Maria Sharapova, Maria Hingis and Venus Williams.

“Quotable …”

“Yeah, I have big goals. Of course, time will show. But definitely we will keep on working. Hopefully, I achieve my goals. I’m going to keep working and let’s see what’s going to happen.”

– Newly-crowned Australian Open champion Elena Rybakina, during her champion’s news conference after defeating Aryna Sabalenka to win her second career major title.

Rybakina Wins Australian Open With Poise And Inner Calm

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