New Melbourne queen Rybakina happy to find highest level again

MELBOURNE (Reuters) – 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 Saturday.

The 26-year-old Kazakh dismantled world number one 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 Swiatek and left her on a hot streak of 14 wins from her last 15 matches, a run that includes her WTA Finals triumph last year.

"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," Rybakina told reporters.

"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," Rybakina said.

"Each match was different but, again, my serve was in the beginning not as good. The movement was not the same as today and semi-final match (against Jessica Pegula).

"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."

Sabalenka rues another Melbourne Park miss as hardcourt aura fades

Following two years of triumph at the Australian Open, Aryna Sabalenka is now processing two years of pain.

A year on from losing the final in three sets to American Madison Keys, Sabalenka fell to Elena Rybakina on Saturday, the Russia-born Kazakh turning the tables on the Belarusian who beat her for the 2023 title.

While the Keys shock left Sabalenka inconsolable and her racket in pieces, defeat to fifth seed Rybakina had its own unique sting.

The world number one held a 3-0 lead in the third set and had all the running before former Wimbledon champion Rybakina broke back in the fifth game and stormed to her second Grand Slam trophy.

"She made some winners. I made a couple of unforced errors," Sabalenka told reporters.

"Of course, I have regrets. You know, when you lead 3-0 and then it felt like in a few seconds it was 3-4 and I was down with a break. So it was very fast.

"Great tennis from her. Maybe not so smart for me but, as I say, today I'm a loser, maybe tomorrow I'm a winner, maybe again a loser. Hopefully not. We'll see."

It was Sabalenka's second significant loss to Rybakina in a few months, having been beaten for the season-ending WTA Finals crown.

More alarmingly, it was her third loss in her last four major finals, with Coco Gauff flooring her at last year's French Open.

Sabalenka did not lose a set coming into the Melbourne final and had won 46 of her 48 previous matches at hardcourt Grand Slams.

Now Rybakina, one of the few players able to match her for power, has dealt Sabalenka's aura a heavy blow.

Sabalenka laughed ruefully and shrugged through her post-match press conference but was honest enough to admit she had been despondent outside the room.

On court, she draped a white towel over her head to conceal her anguish before gathering herself to deliver gracious congratulations to Rybakina, her most frequent opponent on tour.

She consoled herself that barring a few errors in the final set, Rybakina had simply wrested the trophy from her grip with the quality of her tennis.

"Even in this final I feel like I played great. I was fighting. I did my best, and today she was a better player," said Sabalenka.

"So I don't know. We'll speak with the team. Now they try to avoid and escape me because they see that it's not really healthy to be around me right now."