Elena Rybakina beats Aryna Sabalenka to win Australian Open

With a tenacious three-set win in Saturday’s final, Elena Rybakina shocked the World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka to claim her maiden Australian Open title.

The 5 seed in Melbourne looked on course for defeat when Sabalenka came from a set behind to take a break advantage in the decider. But the 26-year-old showed renewed spirit to punish errors from the two-time Melbourne champion and secure a 6-4 4-6 6-4 victory, marking her first major win since Wimbledon 2022. At Melbourne’s Rod Laver Arena, big-serving Kazakh fifth seed held her nerve to power through a 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 victory in 2hrs 18mins.

It was payback after Belarusian Sabalenka’s 2023 final victory between two of the hardest hitters in women’s tennis. The ice-cool Rybakina, 26, who was born in Moscow, adds her Melbourne triumph to her 2022 Wimbledon victory. Sabalenka, who last year won the US Open but lost the French Open and Melbourne title deciders, suffered further disappointment in today’s major final. She was moving into her fourth Australian Open final in a row, imperious until now, and closed with tears in her eyes.

With the roof on because of drizzle in Melbourne, Rybakina immediately broke serve and comfortably held for 2-0. Rybakina dealt with two break points at 4-3 and then found her range with her serve to send down an ace and get herself out of trouble, leaving Sabalenka visibly frustrated. Rybakina looked in the zone and closed the set in 37 minutes after her first set point when Sabalenka fired long.

Miraculously, it was the first set Sabalenka had dropped in 2023. The second game of the second set was tense, and Rybakina saved three break points in a 10-minute arm-wrestle. They went with serve and the seventh was another tussle, Sabalenka holding for 4-3 after the best rally of a cagey affair. The tension ratcheted up and the top seed quickly gained three set points at 5-4 on the Kazakh’s serve and ruthlessly levelled the match at the first chance to force a deciding set.

Now Sabalenka was the ascendant force, hitting a scorching backhand to break for a 2-0 lead, then holding for 3-0. Rybakina, also not having dropped a set in reaching the final, appeared strangely shaken. She recalibrated to hold, then wrestled back the break, earning her the gentlest of smiles. At 3-3 the title threatened to swing one way or another. But a surging Rybakina won a fourth game in a row to break for 4-3, then held to put a thrilling victory within sight. Rybakina wrapped the championship with her sixth ace of the match.

The finalists were familiar foes, having met 14 times previously, with Sabalenka winning eight of them. Sabalenka emerged as favourite but Rybakina has been one of the form players on the women’s tour in recent months. She also beat Sabalenka in the decider at the season-ending WTA Finals. Rybakina defeated second seed Iga Swiatek in the quarter-finals while beating sixth seed Jessica Pegula in the last four in Melbourne. When Rybakina was 19, she switched to play under the Kazakh flag, citing financial reasons.

Carlos Alcaraz becomes the youngest player in history to complete the career Grand Slam

And then in The Men’s category, Carlos Alcaraz becomes the youngest player in history to complete the career Grand Slam by defeating Novak Djokovic in the Australian Open final. Carlos Alcaraz, World No. 1, completed a career Grand Slam, winning all four major singles titles at age 22 with a four-set victory against Novak Djokovic in the Australian Open final.

Alcaraz was 4 when Djokovic first reached the final here in 2008, and in a generation clash it was the Spaniard who emerged victorious in a 2-6 6-2 6-3 7-5 victory on Rod Laver Arena. With two trophies each at the French Open, Wimbledon and US Open, Alcaraz proved to be the youngest man to complete the career Grand Slam with his maiden title in Melbourne, eclipsing Don Budge who wrapped up his at the 1938 French Open two days before his 23rd birthday and denying the Serb a record 25th major title.

It is the first time in 11 finals at Melbourne Park that Djokovic has not been the winner, yet having defeated one of the two new kings of men’s tennis, Jannik Sinner, in a remarkable semi-final, the other was a step too far. The Murcia man is five years younger than Djokovic was when he reached seven Grand Slam titles, with only Bjorn Borg anywhere near those numbers.

“Nobody knows how hard I’ve worked to get this trophy,” said Alcaraz after lifting the Norman Brookes Challenge Cup.

“I chased this moment so much. I appreciate it was a rollercoaster emotionally, and my team and I went through stuff but did the right work. This trophy is yours as well. “I can’t wait to come back here next year.” Alcaraz said.