Firepower showdown as Sabalenka takes on Rybakina in Australian Open final

Updated On: 31 January, 2026 08:23 AM IST | Melbourne | AFP

World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka will face big-serving Elena Rybakina in a blockbuster Australian Open women’s final, with both players yet to drop a set in the tournament. The clash marks a rematch of the 2023 final, which Sabalenka won to claim her maiden Grand Slam title

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Aryna Sabalenka. Pic/Getty Images; (right) Elena Rybakina. Pic/AFP

Fire meets fire when hard-hitting Aryna Sabalenka clashes with big-serving Elena Rybakina in the women’s Australian Open final here on Saturday.

The showdown pits two players who are on rampaging form and yet to drop a set in Melbourne in the past fortnight. They know each other very well, having met 14 times previously, and it is a rematch of the 2023 title decider at Rod Laver Arena. The Belarusian Sabalenka prevailed on that occasion, fighting back from a set down to win her first Grand Slam crown. The World No. 1 won it again in 2024, but was denied a hat-trick last year when she was stunned in
the final by the American Madison Keys.