New Melbourne queen Elena Rybakina happy to find highest level again

MELBOURNE – Elena Rybakina said she was delighted to reach the level shown by rivals Aryna Sabalenka and Iga Swiatek again, having beaten the dominant duo of women’s tennis on the way to claiming her second Grand Slam title at the Australian Open on Jan 31.

The 26-year-old Kazakh dismantled world No. 1 Sabalenka 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 in the final on Rod Laver Arena to add another Major trophy to her cabinet following her breakthrough Wimbledon triumph in 2022.

It followed a fluent quarter-final victory over No. 2 Swiatek and left her on a hot streak of 14 wins from her last 15 matches, a run that includes her WTA Finals triumph over Sabalenka in 2025.

“Of course, they’re tough opponents, and they have great results, and for so long they’re at the top and it (has been) stable,” fifth-ranked Rybakina said.

“I’m happy that now I’m getting back to this level and hopefully I can be stable again throughout the whole season and keep on showing great tennis and good results.

“Yeah, it’s a lot of tough matches I had here. I’m glad the opportunities which I was getting during the match, I managed to take it and win in the end.”

Rybakina arrived at the year’s opening Grand Slam having lost in the Brisbane International tune-up tournament quarter-finals and while she did not believe she was unbeatable, she said her Melbourne success stemmed from steady improvement.

“I played in Brisbane and lost the match there. I feel like throughout the last couple of weeks I improved, which is really nice,” she added.

“I’m just very proud of the work I did with my team, and that I found my best form here at the Grand Slam. I always believed I can come back to the level I was.

“It’s an incredible achievement. Super happy and proud. Aryna is a very tough opponent but I’m super happy this time I’m holding the trophy (Sabalenka won when they met in the 2023 final).”

The turning point of the match came when Rybakina fought back from 0-3 in the deciding set to triumph.

Sabalenka, meanwhile, said she was “really upset” with herself for failing to take her chances at that point.

“I played great until a certain point, and then I couldn’t resist that aggression that she had on court today,” she added. “She has more confidence and she goes for her shots without any doubt, the level was incredible.

“But I think overall I played great tennis here in Australia. Even in this final I feel like I played great. I was fighting. I did my best, and today she was a better player.”

Sabalenka, the 2023 and 2024 Melbourne champion, has now won four and lost four of the eight Slam finals she has contested. That includes losing her last two in Australia after being upset in 2025 by Madison Keys.

Despite this, she was optimistic that she was moving in the right direction.

“Keep fighting, keep working hard, keep putting myself out there, and try my best if I have another chance in the final. Just go out there and do my best,” she said. AFP, REUTERS