Australian Open: Aryna Sabalenka turns final against Elena Rybakina and wins first Grand Slam

Aryna Sabalenka (No. 5) collapsed to the ground in the raging Rod Laver Arena and cried with happiness. The 24-year-old has finally landed her long-awaited big coup and won the Australian Open.

In a hard-fought and high-class final in Melbourne, she defeated Elena Rybakina (Kazakhstan/No. 22) 4-6, 6-3, 6-4. “This is the best day of my life right now,” said Sabalenka in the evening.

“I’m shaking, I’m still super nervous. It was an incredible tournament,” she had said in her winning speech and, in addition to her “crazy team”, also thanked tennis legend Billie Jean King, who had presented her with the trophy: “Thank you for everything you’ve done for our sport.”

She also thanked Rybakina for a thrilling final and hoped for several final duels with the Kazakh. Rybakina emphasized that she is already looking forward to returning next year: “I had goosebumps playing in this atmosphere.”

Sabalenka needs four match points for the title

Sabalenka, who hails from Belarus, becomes the first neutral athlete to win a major tournament. Since the Russian war of aggression, the signs of their homeland have also been banned from tennis. “I think people still know that I’m a Belarusian player,” she said.

Sabalenka had an impressive series against Rybakina: she has not lost any of her eleven matches this year. “It was advertising for women’s tennis,” said Boris Becker Eurosport: “That was really good, high-speed tennis.”

On her first match point, Sabalenka served a double fault, on the second she missed a forehand. The Belarusian then even had to fend off a breakball. On the third match point, a backhand just missed the baseline. Sabalenka then used her fourth after 2:28 hours of high-class tennis on both sides.

Sabalenka undefeated since November

“What a great finale, she worked so hard for that,” said national coach Barbara Rittner Eurosport: “You can see what a burden it was.” It was refreshing to watch her, Becker added: “She has more tennis quality than many players. You can also see her heart on the pitch.”

The winner can look forward to the equivalent of 1,896,503 euros in prize money in Melbourne. Rybakina still gets a bonus of 1,035,905 euros for participating in the final. Born in Russia, she has been playing for Kazakhstan since 2018 and made her country’s first Grand Slam triumph at Wimbledon.

Before the final, Sabalenka had lost a set on the tour in November in the final of the WTA finals against Caroline Garcia (6: 7, 4: 6). Before the Australian Open, the Belarusian had won the Adelaide tournament with a flawless record.

Rybakina bietet Sabalenka Paroli

Sabalenka went into the long-awaited duel between two powerful women with the greatest possible self-confidence and the knowledge of her positive record against Rybakina. The Belarusian had won all three previous encounters – her opponent wanted to use the experience gained from her final triumph at Wimbledon.

And Rybakina succeeded, taking Sabalenka’s service early and refilling it. Like her opponent, she served hard and then tried to take command from the baseline. Even a brief period of weakness in the first set didn’t faze her.

“She plays it so dry and humorless,” said Rittner: “She plays much better than in the semifinals.” And Sabalenka was the first player this year to lose a set.

But Sabalenka managed to break her opponent’s momentum in the second set, she played big at times and equalized the set with an ace. Sabalenka kept his foot on the gas and continued to put Rybakina under pressure in the deciding set. She made the break to 4: 3 – and didn’t let her triumph be taken away.

Petkovic sees new rivalry growing

“It’s so refreshing – that’s something that women’s tennis was missing: These rivalries, which then build up over the years,” said former German world-class player Andrea Petkovic as co-commentator of the final Eurosport:

“I think we’re seeing two players here who will often face each other in big finals in the future and that will give women’s tennis a boost.”

Petkovic continues: “These matches at eye level, where you don’t know in which direction it will turn, are just fun.”

Rybakina with a great run to the final

In Melbourne, Sabalenka beat seeded players Elise Mertens (Belgium/No. 26) and Belinda Bencic (Switzerland/No. 12). With Iga Swiatek (Poland/No. 1), Jelena Ostapenko (Latvia/No. 17) and Victoria Azarenka (No. 24), Rybakina had to prevail against three former Grand Slam winners.

Rybakina had won Wimbledon in 2022, but did not receive any world ranking points for the win due to the exclusion of Russian and Belarusian players.

Before 2023, she had never made it past the third round in three appearances at the Australian Open.

Sabalenka wins her first Grand Slam final

Sabalenka has never been in a Grand Slam final before. In 2021 in Wimbledon, as well as in 2021 and 2022 at the US Open, she failed in the semifinals. Now she celebrated her first big triumph.

“This trophy is more about you than me,” said Sabalenka, who plans to celebrate the title “with pizza, lots of sweets and maybe a glass of champagne.”

In the new WTA world rankings, the 24-year-old will be second at her new career high, right behind Swiatek. Rybakina will enter the top ten for the first time (10th).

Swiatek lost to Rybakina in the round of 16 in Melbourne.

(with SID)