Australian Open news: Grand Slam finals preview - Aryna Sabalenka and Elena Rybakina go head-to-head
The spotlight will be on Rod Laver Arena, as the top seeds Aryna Sabalenka and Elena Rybakina battle it out in the final of the Australian Open, to see who will come out as victor in Melbourne.
Here, Sports News Blitz writer Lorenzo Gagliotta previews the women’s final in the first Grand Slam of the year.
Women’s final: Aryna Sabalenka vs. Elena Rybakina
The first final on display is a blockbuster battle between last year’s finalist Aryna Sabalenka and world number five Elena Rybakina and is actually a rematch of the final that took place at Melbourne Park in 2023.
Last time out, Belarus’ Sabalenka managed to clinch her first Major title in a three-set thriller against Kazakhstan’s Rybakina.
The now world number five saw her enter the top 10 rankings, being the first Kazakh, for both male and female, to do so.
Sabalenka’s path to the final has seen not lose out on her set and getting past the likes of the rising stars Victoria Mboko and Iva Jovic, and dispatching Ukrainian Elina Svitolina in her first semi-final run at the Australian Open.
The world number one is now in her fourth consecutive final in Melbourne and looks to redeem what she lost out on in 2025, against the talented Rybakina.
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Rybakina’s route to the final saw her overcome the world number two Iga Swiatek in impressive fashion and rise to the occasion against the more experienced players on the tour, like Jessica Pegula and Elise Mertens.
The rivalry between the pair is one of the most distinguished in today’s game, with them facing each other 14 times in total, with the world number five Rybakina last defeating Sabalenka in Riyadh at the 2025 WTA Finals to win her first WTA Finals title.
It’s fair to say the two players bode the strongest serve on the tour, with both looking to cancel each other out with their powering presence.
Rybakina’s return game has looked stronger than ever and grown with every opponent she has faced.
It is whether that and the other components of her game will get the better of Sabalenka’s monstrous groundstrokes and overall competitiveness in an all-important match at Rod Laver Arena.
As Sabalenka faces the test of time with redemption to secure her second Australian Open title, Rybakina aims to win her second ever Major in a battle for the ages in Melbourne.
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