Revenge & Rematch: A New Australian Open Champion Rises
Rain welcomed the 2026 Australian Open Women’s Singles Championship today in Melbourne, Australia, giving the chance for the first-ranked Aryna Sabalenka and fifth-ranked Elena Rybakina to have their 2023 AO rematch under a closed roof in the Rod Laver Stadium. Though this particular final was a rematch, the last time these two faced each other was quite recent, in the 2025 WTA Finals in Riyadh, the Kazakhstani powerhouse walked away victorious in straight sets, closing out the set tiebreak at love. Sabalenka has had a perfect run to the final, not dropping a single set. A muttered comment in Russian caught on the hot mic by the Belarusian, “once a year, even a stick shoots,” an idiom that likened the win to luck. Rybakina, who won both the WTA Finals and the Ningbo Open, said she did not take offence at it when asked by the press.
Game Styles Compared
These two are the most powerful women in the game currently, and Sabalenka finally found true challenge for the first time in the tournament, after not dropping a set on her way to the final. Also, a baseliner, Rybakina, is gifted with the skill of anticipation, which the Belarusian doesn’t quite have. Combined with the fact that she matches Sabalenka’s power, the Ningbo champ generates her own frightful power when she chooses, and it consistently outpasses her rival, much to her visible chagrin. Sabalenka also doesn’t have Rybakina’s speed or reaction time, and the Kazakh is free to do as she pleases. Against this opponent, who even matches and even outplays her in rallies, even taking shots on the rise; more quirks that help her, but throw Sabalenka badly off from where it is she’s usually comfortable.
Sabalenka has a touch more versatility; she is comfortable at the net and is very, very emotional. It’s maybe the biggest difference between them, other than Rybakina’s frightful ball striking. The Belarusian hits down the middle, tries for neutral balls at times, but every shot is a winner for Rybakina, or at least, the way blistering way she hits it is. Deep and well-angled or even when angled short, the weight unbalances Sabalenka and leaves her without an answer. They all sent into visible frustration that started as soon as the second game, frustration that she’s successfully worked on hiding away for years.
In terms of service, both are damaging, but Sabalenka takes the crown, with a higher first-serve accuracy of 62%, seven percent higher than her rival. Even with that, unlike herself, or perhaps, unable to stop it, Sabalenka was broken three times out of the six chances that came up. Taking a page from Sabalenka’s usual playbook, Rybakina played selfishly. She allowed only two breaks to pass out of eight chances.
How Rybakina Tipped the Thriller
Sets were split, Sabalenka bouncing back quickly after falling in the first; a good fight, but the Kazahk still at her freshest. The dip was sharp and apparent in the second; Sabalenka found her own rhythm and footing for rallies to finally take place more often, and Rybakina slowed down noticeably, her balls falling shorter and in view for the Belarusian to handle better. Others missed the mark completely, flying way past the line. Winners still lashed out from either side, and unforced errors were plenty. Sabalenka had 26 unforced errors and 35 winners, and Rybakina had 25 unforced errors and 28 winners. The Belarusian seemed well on her way to claim her third AO title, going up 3-0 in the deciding set, hitting strong, all the command Rybakina had been dragging her about with before, gone.
Yet in the fourth game, the fifth rank held firmly, and she won the next five games, each sending her opponent into greater panic and raising the level of the games. Once again, serves are the most important part of the game that too many neglect. Sabalenka isn’t usually someone who does, but being broken and not rebreaking where it mattered lost her the match entirely. Rybakina bounced back slowly, her groundstrokes solid again, no longer blinding at every turn, but they jumped out at important points like returns, and through patient rallies, balls she knew Sabalenka couldn’t reach.
It can be supposed that indeed, a stick does shoot more than once a year, because Elena Rybakina won in three sets, 6-4, 4-6, 6-4. An even score, to even a score, vengeance for the 2023 AO Championship loss. This win brings the overall head-to-head to 8-7, Sabalenka still in the lead. The year has just started, and these two will surely see each other again.
