Australian Open 2026: Elena Rybakina defeats Aryna Sabalenka to win the women’s singles title

In a meeting between two of the biggest hitters on the women’s tour, Rybakina neutralized Sabalenka’s trademark power with a clean sweep and a clutch serve, before going deep into the decider.

Sabalenka has spent 75 weeks at the top of the world rankings and remains the dominant player in the women’s game – especially on hard courts, with her seventh consecutive major final on the surface.

But Rybakina has emerged as the Belarusian’s kryptonite after winning seven of their past nine matches on hard courts.

After appearing to be on her way to a stunning win, Sabalenka sat with a towel over her head, thinking that another final had eluded her grasp.

Meanwhile, Rybakina was able to celebrate her impressive run to the title, having also beaten world number two Iga Swiatek and sixth seed Jessica Pegula en route to the final.

She has now won her past 10 matches against fellow top-10 players and is the first player to win the title by defeating three top-10 players in every round from the quarter-finals onwards since Naomi Osaka in 2019.

Rybakina is undoubtedly the model player on the WTA Tour, having won more wins than anyone else since the end of Wimbledon last year (38) and losing just once in her last 21 matches.