Elena Rybakina became the first Kazakh to win the Australian Open title after beating world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka in a nail-biting final.
The historic win, marked by a 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 victory, flipped the script on Saturday as the 26-year-old Kazakh lost to Sabalenka in the 2023 match.
After winning her second Grand Slam, Rybakina’s triumph marks a new order in women’s tennis after Sabalenka’s defeat. The Kazakh tennis star also won Wimbledon in 2022.
The exciting match was a dramatic comeback for the ice-cold Rybakina, who won the first set early. Unfortunately, she lost the second set and trailed 3-0 in the final set.
Rybakina fought back to win four games in a row, eventually closing the match with an ace to secure the championship.
The match turned out to be a heavy defeat for Sabalenka, who played perfectly throughout the tournament until this match.
In addition to securing the title, Elena Rybakina secured a record-breaking payday worth AUD 4.15 million.
In an interview after the match, the winner expressed her thoughts: “I would like to congratulate Aryna for great results over a few years. I know it is difficult, but I hope we will play many more finals together and congratulate your team for all the improvements: great job you have done.”
She also thanked her country and teammates for their support, saying: “without you it wouldn’t be possible, we had a lot to do and I’m very happy that we achieved this result.”
Runner-up Aryna Sabalenka also shared her thoughts after the match: “I want to congratulate you [Elena] and your team on an incredible run, incredible tennis, on such an incredible performance.
“Thanks of course to my team for always being there, and for enjoying me losing the final,” she added.
