Elena Rybakina Wins Melbourne Crown, Defeats Aryna Sabalenka

Sabalenka Reflects on Australian Open Final Loss, Rybakina Celebrates “Different” Grand Slam Title

Aryna Sabalenka entered the Australian Open as the top seed and a strong favorite, but ultimately fell short in the final against Elena Rybakina. This marks the Belarusian’s second defeat in a Grand Slam final, continuing a pattern of near misses on the biggest stages.

Following the match, Sabalenka questioned her strategy in the decisive moments. “Maybe I should have tried to be more aggressive on my serve [in the final set] knowing that I have a break and put pressure on her, but she played incredible,” she stated. She acknowledged Rybakina’s strong play, noting, “she made some winners. I made couple of unforced errors.”

Sabalenka expressed regret over the rapid shift in momentum during the final set. “Of course, I have regrets. you know, when you lead 3-0, and than it felt like in few seconds it was 3-4, and I was down with a break – so it was very fast,” she explained. She conceded, “[It was] great tennis from her. Maybe not so smart for me.” Looking ahead, she added, “Today I’m a loser, maybe tomorrow I’m a winner, maybe again a loser. hopefully not. Let’s see.”

For Rybakina,the Australian Open title carries a different weight than her 2022 Wimbledon victory. “Wimbledon was my first experience getting that far in the tournament, and I won straight away,” she said. She contrasted the experiences,explaining that Wimbledon was significantly more stressful. “I remember I was not sleeping well [ahead of the] semis, even quarters… it was really stressful, I will say, Wimbledon.”

Rybakina noted a calmer preparation for the Australian Open final. “[But] I was managing to sleep well here, and that’s a good thing.” She described the feelings surrounding this title as “different” given it was achieved on a hardcourt surface.