Elena Rybakina underlined her growing dominance on the WTA Tour after defeating world No. 1 and No. 2 to lift the Australian Open title in Melbourne. The fifth seed outlasted top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 in a gripping final to claim her second Grand Slam crown, following her Wimbledon triumph more than three years ago
Elena Rybakina with her Australian Open trophy on the banks of the Yarra River in Melbourne on Sunday. Pic/AFP
Elena Rybakina beat the two top-ranked players in the world to win the Australian Open and show that her quiet ruthlessness can propel her to No. 1 and more Grand Slam glory.
The Moscow-born Kazakh emerged from a power battle with top seed Aryna Sabalenka to claim the Melbourne title in three tight sets on Saturday. The 26-year-old’s 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 triumph brought her a second major crown, more than three years after winning Wimbledon.
Two-time Australia champion Sabalenka had her chances, notably leading the final set 3-0, but the fifth seed retained her trademark cool to pull through. Rybakina later revealed that beneath her understated celebrations was huge relief.
She has been the form player on tour since the middle of last year and is set to return to her career-high ranking of three, behind Sabalenka and Iga Swiatek. Australian media labelled her a “quiet assassin”.
“Last year I didn’t start that well,” said Rybakina, as she eyes a second Wimbledon title in June-July.
“Now it’s different. So I just hope that I can carry all this momentum, hopefully do a good job with the team and continue this way throughout the year,” she added.
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