Rybakina defies the bookies to win Australian Open final
Elena Rybakina delivered a stunning victory over world number one Aryna Sabalenka to capture her first Australian Open title in Melbourne, overturning pre-match expectations by winning 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 in a gripping women’s singles final.
Rybakina trailed 3-0 in the deciding set and looked finished, before mounting a decisive comeback, showing she has not only narrowed the gap, but surpassed her 2023 Australian Open conquerer.
“I’m happy that being down [on the scoreboard], I was able to calm myself down,” said Rybakina, who was born in Russia but switched allegiance to Kazakhstan as a junior.
“Not be frustrated anymore and just focus on each point and stay closer to the score.”
Sabalenka, the defending champion and favourite with betting sites, entered the match with strong backing from tennis betting sites, priced at about 1.56 to win compared with Rybakina’s 2.40, reflecting her status as the top seed and recent form.
Despite those indicators, Rybakina produced a high-quality performance on Rod Laver Arena, showing resilience in key moments and disrupting Sabalenka’s rhythm with powerful serving and aggressive baseline play.
The result marks Rybakina’s second Grand Slam title, adding to her 2022 Wimbledon success, and represents a significant turnaround in the rivalry after previously losing to Sabalenka in the 2023 decider at Melbourne Park.
Sabalenka, now 4-4 in Grand Slam finals, was highly emotional after the gripping contest, but paid tribute to her opponent who she said handled the bigger moments better.
“Maybe I should have tried to be more aggressive on my serve, knowing that I have a break and put pressure on her,” Sabalenka said.
“But she played incredible. She made some winners. I made couple of unforced errors.
“Of course, I have regrets … you lead 3-0 and then it felt like in few seconds it was 3-4 and I was down a break.
“So it was very fast. Great tennis from her. Maybe not so smart for me.”
In the men’s final, world no.1 Carlos Alcaraz was due to clash with Novak Djokovic on Sunday night, with the Spaniard a heavy favourite with betting sites.
