Aryna Sabalenka beats Elena Rybakina in three sets to win Australian Open title

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Throughout the formidable winning run she has compiled to start this season, Aryna Sabalenka continually stressed that her mentality has shifted. She is more composed now, willing to work for her success instead of swinging thoughtlessly for the fences. Down a set to the Wimbledon champion in her first ever grand slam singles final, those principles were put to the ultimate test.

Despite being under immense pressure right until the desperate final game, Sabalenka did not blink. She focused on finding solutions and after a spectacular match filled with fearless, relentless shotmaking from both players, Sabalenka outplayed Elena Rybakina 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 to win the Australian Open.

With her first major title, Sabalenka, the fifth seed, will return to No 2 in the WTA rankings, equaling her career-high ranking. She remains unbeaten in 2023, winning her first 11 matches of the season with two titles to her name.

In a match between two of the biggest servers and shot-makers in the sport, the fundamental objective was clear for both – attack. Neither player shied away from the pressure of such an enormous moment, and they traded enormous hits from the beginning. After Sabalenka opened the match with two aces to hold, Rybakina responded with three.

Early on, Rybakina’s experience, and her composure, was immediately clear. She broke serve in the second game and then backed it up with some impenetrable serving. When Sabalenka produced a great return game to break back and level her at 4-4, Rybakina simply broke serve again and then slammed the door on the opening set with a love hold.

Sabalenka had arrived in her first grand slam final as the most in-form player this year, winning every single set she had played so far in 2023, and doing so by embracing her more composed demeanour. Even after falling down a set, she refused to betray significant emotion.

With her more dynamic, heavy ball striking and greater athleticism, Sabalenka knew that she had the edge over Rybakina in any neutral rally. As she began to read the Kazakh’s serve and punish her second serve, the Belarusian took control. Sabalenka broke serve for a 3-1 lead and then she brilliantly consolidated with a tight, quality hold.

Even as Rybakina forced her way back in and put her serve under immense pressure at the end of the second set, Sabalenka constantly found her way back inside the baseline where she let her groundstrokes sing. She ended the set with a ridiculous 21 winners to just 10 unforced errors.

As they converged in the final set shootout, the level only elevated under pressure. Both players swung freely, forcing themselves inside the baseline and desperately tried to wrestle the initiative. In the end, Sabalenka’s more dynamic ground game won out.

The first opportunity of the third set came through a break point on Rybakina’s serve at 2-2, which she saved with an unreturned serve before navigating a brilliant hold. But Sabalenka kept on pushing, demolishing forehands as she brought up three break points at 3-3. Rybakina fired down two more unreturned serves, but Sabalenka finished a vicious combination of shots with a winning overhead to snatch the decisive break.

To her credit, Rybakina pressured Sabalenka until the end, making every service game uncomfortable and then forcing her opponent to serve out the match. Three championship points came and went, including a double fault, but the Belarusian refused to allow her emotions to take over in an exhausting final game. Sabalenka forced a final forehand error from Rybakina, and collapsed to the ground as a grand slam champion at last.