Elena Rybakina is the new queen of Melbourne. The Kazakh tennis player won the first Australian Open of her career by beating Aryna Sabalenka in the final in three sets, 6-4 4-6 6-4, at the end of a match that lasted two hours and 19 minutes.
Second Slam for the Kazakh
For the 26-year-old born in Moscow, this is the second Major title after the triumph at Wimbledon 2022. In Melbourne also came the revenge on the Belarusian, who had beaten her in the final of the 2023 Australian Open. With this success Rybakina equals her best ranking as number three in the world.
During the awards ceremony, the Kazakh wanted to underline the value of her opponent and the tournament: «I want to congratulate Sabalenka for the extraordinary results of recent years. I hope we will play on these stages again. I am proud of the result achieved for the Kazakh tennis movement. I thank the audience for the atmosphere created and my team. I like playing this tournament and I have always performed well here.”
Sabalenka knocked out again in the final
However, Sabalenka’s difficulties continue in the final stages of the Slams: for the third time in the last four Major finals played, the world number one comes out defeated. After the knockouts against Keys at the 2025 Australian Open and Gauff at Roland Garros 2025, the Belarusian lost again in Melbourne. The only recent highlight remains the success at the 2025 US Open against Anisimova.
Even in this final there is no lack of regret: in the third set Sabalenka had gone ahead 3-0 and 30-30 in response, but was unable to close the match. «I’m speechless right now. Rybakina’s journey has been incredible and I congratulate her and her entire team. I love playing here and in front of this crowd and I can’t wait to come back next year, hoping for a better finish. I thank my team for always being by my side”, declared the Belarusian.
Despite the defeat, Sabalenka remains firmly at the top of the WTA rankings with 10,990 points, over 3,000 ahead of Iga Swiatek (7,978). Rybakina instead rises to third place at 7,610. From fourth to sixth place three Americans: Amanda Anisimova (6.680) precedes Coco Gauff (6.423) and Jessica Pegula (6.103). Jasmine Paolini remains eighth with 4,267 points, while Elina Svitolina enters the top ten, tenth with 3,205. However, the winner of the 2025 Australian Open Madison Keys slips to fifteenth place, with 2,351 points.