Elena Rybakina closed out a thriller in Melbourne to win her second Grand Slam title and deny Aryna Sabalenka a third straight major crown.
The Kazakh showed late-match composure and power to finish a run that included beating both the world No. 2 and the world No. 1, a feat that places her in genuinely rare company in Australian Open history.
How The Final Unfolded
Rybakina beat Sabalenka 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 in a match that swung wildly in its final set and featured two five-game streaks that decided the momentum of the night.
Sabalenka built a 3-0 lead in the decider after dominating long stretches of the contest, only to see Rybakina reel off five straight games and then finish the match with an ace that sealed the title.
“I was really upset with myself, I would say, because once again I had opportunities,”
Aryna Sabalenka
Beating The Top Two: A Shortlist Of Legends
Rybakina’s path was notable not just for the final but for the players she dispatched along the way, including a quarterfinal win over Iga Swiatek before taking out Sabalenka in the title match.
She downed No. 2 Iga Swiatek 7-5, 6-1 in the quarters, then topped world No. 1 Sabalenka in the final, a sequence of wins that underlines how difficult this particular title run really was.
Rybakina becomes just the fourth woman ever to defeat both of the Top 2 players en route to an Australian Open title, joining a tiny roll call of champions since the WTA rankings began in 1975.
Jennifer Capriati was the first player to accomplish the twin upsets in 2001, beating world No. 2 Lindsay Davenport in the semifinals before downing world No. 1 Martina Hingis in the final to claim the trophy.
Serena Williams pulled off the double in 2005 when she beat No. 2 Amelie Mauresmo in the quarters and then rallied past No. 1 Lindsay Davenport in the final, a victory that cemented her place among the greats.
More recently, Madison Keys joined the list in 2025 by saving match point to beat No. 2 Swiatek in a dramatic semifinal and then edging No. 1 Sabalenka to lift the title and write her own slice of Melbourne history.
Aftermath And What It Means
Sabalenka was candid after the loss, noting the opportunities she squandered and conceding the quality of Rybakina’s tennis in the decisive moments of the match.
She told reporters, “I played great until a certain point, and then I couldn’t resist that aggression that she had on court,” acknowledging how quickly the match flipped once Rybakina seized momentum.
The defeat continues a troubling pattern for Sabalenka in finals, and it marked another high-stakes reversal against a player known for matching her power stroke for stroke in big moments.
For Rybakina the win is confirmation that her 2022 Wimbledon triumph was no fluke, and that she can marshal both serve and nerve to close out tight majors against the game’s very best.
Jennifer Capriati even appeared in Rod Laver Arena to present the Daphne Akhurst Memorial Cup, linking Rybakina’s achievement to the lineage of champions who have made Melbourne the place to win your greatest matches.
With this second Grand Slam in hand, Rybakina will carry fresh confidence into the season, while Sabalenka must regroup and find answers after a loss that she described as a painful missed chance.
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Christoph Friedrich is a German tennis player and coach currently residing in Oakland, California. He began his tennis journey at the age of eight and has since dedicated his life to the sport. After working as a tennis coach and hitting partner in New York City for eight years, Christoph decided to share his knowledge and experience with tennis players around the world by creating the My Tennis Expert blog. His goal is to make tennis education accessible to everyone and help players select the best equipment for their game, from racquets and strings to shoes and overgrips. Christoph's extensive research and expertise in tennis technology make him a valuable resource for players of all levels.
