Kazakh tennis player Elena Rybakina (5th) delivered the blow and secured the title at the Australian Open, the first Grand Slam of the season, by prevailing in a great final against Belarusian world number one Aryna Sabalenka. Thanks to these unforgettable weeks, Rybakina will climb to the third place in the WTA rankings. She won 6-4, 4-6, and 6-4 after two hours and 18 minutes of play. The match started better for Rybakina, who broke serve in the first game, a break that would be decisive as she then managed to hold all her service games to take the first set 6-4. In the second set, things were very close, with both finalists placing great importance on their serves and holding their games without major complications. However, Sabalenka tipped the scales in her favor in the tenth game when she broke serve, allowing her to win 6-4 and take the match to a deciding set. In the third and final set, it seemed Sabalenka would claim the victory, as she quickly secured another break to take a 3-0 lead. However, Rybakina won five consecutive games to turn the tables and go up 5-3. Finally, after Sabalenka held her serve to pull one game back, Rybakina regained her strength on her serve to close out the match with the final 6-4. This was Rybakina's second Grand Slam title, having won Wimbledon in 2022. She also managed to avenge her loss in the 2023 Australian Open final, where Sabalenka had beaten her in a tight three-set match. On her way to the final, Rybakina defeated Slovenian Kaja Juvan, Frenchwoman Varvara Gracheva, Czech Tereza Valentova, Belgian Elise Mertens (21st), Pole Iga Swiatek (2nd), and American Jessica Pegula (6th) without dropping a single set.
