AUS Open 2026 Highlights, Women's Singles Final: Rybakina shocks the world, beats Sabalenka to win single's title

Alright then, time for us to say good bye.

Scroll down to read about the drama of the match, or if you'd rather not, then here is the match report by Sabyasachi Choudhary.

Good night, see you tomorrow for the men's singles final. India Today's coverage begins as 12 PM IST.

This is Kingshuk, signing off.

“It’s hard to find words now. I want to congratulate Aryna for amazing results for a couple of years. I know it’s tough but I hope we’re gonna play many more finals together. Congrats to your team for all the improvements. Great job you’ve done.”

“I want to say thank you to yon guys for such an incredible atmosphere. Your sillier kept us going. Thank you so much to Kazakhstan. I felt the support from that corner a lot.”

A heartbroken Aryna Sabalenka reacts to her loss in the Australian Open final.

She says: Thank you to my team for always being there… for enjoying me losing finals, but also sometimes we win them so let’s hope for the best.

Grand Slam Finals lost by Aryna Sabalenka

2023 US Open vs Coco Gauff

2025 AUS Open vs Madison Keys

2025 French Open vs Gauff

2026 AUS Open vs Rybakina

As per the Tennis Letter, Rybakina now has the best win percentage against World No.1s in the history of the women’s game.

Stunning serves, tremendous timing on the shots, and the ability to deal with Aryna Sabalenka's intensity.

Elena Rybakina has done it in style today.

She causes a major upset, beaten the world no.1 in three sets - 6-4, 4-6, 6-4, in a battle that lasted for 2 hours and 18 minutes.

It is not that Sabalenka played a bad game. She had the fire in her, the fight in her, and had the momentum with her, even midway through the final set. But Rybakina managed to stay strong, and show incredible mental resilience to stick to her strength, which were her serves and the ability to time the ball sweetly.

Take a look at the win predictor here. Sabalenka became overwhelming favourite to win the match between the 2nd and the 3rd set. But it was not to be.

Ladies and gentlemen! What an incredible comeback from Elena Rybakina!

Australian Open has a new champion and it is the 26-year-old Elena Rybnakina who beats World No.1 Aryna Sabalenka to win her first AUS Open title.

The best ball-striker in the women's tennis at the moment finishes off in style, hitting a lovely ace down the T against Sabalenka.

Let me remind you, that she was down 0-3 in the final set. And managed to win 5 straight games, eventually closing out the final set 6-4.

Make it 5 games in a row ladies and gentlemen. Make that 5 games in a row! The stadium is in disbelief as Rybakina's serves haunt Sabalenka once again. What a tremendous comeback this is. What a tremendous change a little piece of advice can make.

Rybakina had given up, but her coach, 0-3 down, only said - get your energy up, the match is still not finished. And it has sparked a tremendous comeback for Rybakina.

She leads 5-3 now and is surely, surely in prime position to finish this off.

What a massive comeback from Elena Rybakina. The 5th seed wins four games in a row and from 0-3 down, takes a lead of 4-3 in the final set.

And it is all down to Rybakina's ability to hit deep, well timed shots.

Sabalenka is flustered again and she is not able to cope up with the speed of the shots.

From 0-3 down, Elena Rybakina has levelled the final set 3-3. She has won three back to back games and now holds the momentum against Aryna Sabalenka, who at one point of time was looking like the favourite to win this match.

Put more energy said Rybakina's coach a couple of games back, and Rybakina has done exactly that.

Since that advice, Rybakina has won back to back games, break Aryna Sabalenka.

Incredible timing on the shot from Rybakina, who is made Sabalenka just stand and watch the shots go past her on both sides of the court.

Forehand, backhand, it was incredible timing.

This puts her closer to Sabalenka, 2-3 in the final set.

Elena Rybakina won back to back points with serves down the T. Should she do that more?

Things are slipping away from Rybakina.

Her coach tells her to put more energy on the ball, more energy into her movement.

And Rybakina hits with two very big serves and wins her first game of the final set.

Sabalenka is still 3-1 up in the final set and is closing in on her 3rd Australian Open title.

Elena Rybakina was very very close to breaking Aryna Sabalenka in the third game of the final set. But the fact that Rybakina has not hit the balls deep enough, bites her back.

Sabalenka plays some powerful shots and absolutely smashes Rybakina into the ground.

This is tremendous power from Sabalenka, who is now 3-0 up in the final set.

Wow! Aryna Sabalenka Wow!

In a game of backhands, she has managed to outmuscle Elena Rybakina.

Rybakina is struggling to hit the balls deep, but when she did manage to find that rhythm, Sabalenka managed to out power her with a backhand cross-courter.

And early break for Sabalenka in the third and the final set, and now Rybakina is in big trouble.

Aryna Sabalenka starts the third and the final set with incredible intensity.

There is a clear air about Sabalenka now. In the last game of Set 2, she did not let Rybakina win a single point.

Sabalenka has started like that in the third set and this spells trouble for Rybakina.

The Australian Open win predictor is favouring Sabalenka over Rybakina at the moment.

The break has arrived! Sabalenka has done it! She breaks Elena Rybakina late in the second set to push this into decider.

It was such a simple game for Sabalenka. Rybakina, serving to go level 5-5, ends up getting overwhelmed by Sabalenka's returns. She is unable to land her forehands and ends up losing the game, and in turn the set.

This is what pressure does to you.

After 2 sets, Sabalenka and Rybakina are level. And we are going into the decider. 

Aryna Sabalenka holds the edge over Rybakina right now, although she has not been able to break her in the second set.

But it looks clear that Sabalenka is putting Rybakina in problems.

So, what's changed?

Sabalenka has more of a kick in her second serve. And she has been exceptional in converting her first serves to points.

Rybakina's long levers have helped her stay in rallies, but she has been wasteful in a lot of shots as well.

It is a sold out crowd for the final of the women's singles competition.

The crowd has been exceptional throughout the tournament this year, and I think we will soon get a oress release about an attendance record.

Aryna Sabalenka is serving incredibly well at the moment. She is rushing through her service games and making Rybakina work hard for her service points.

One wonders, for how long will Rybakina be able to keep up the intensity that she has been playing in.

The Kazakh star has done very well to show composure and keep up with the power of Sabalenka, but is not looking as smooth as she did in the first set.

Sabalenka is dishing out venomous serves right now and has a win percentage of 91 on her first serves.

Aryna Sabalenka has come with a lot of fire in the second set. Rybakina, up by a set looks jittery and is struggling to hold her serve.

It has taken her 5 deuces to win the second game. But you have to give it to Rybakina for holding her nerve under pressure.

Sabalenka had 3 break points but could not convert.

So, it is 1-1 in the second set.

Let's catch our breath a bit before the second set of this women's singles final.

Marvel the beauty of the Rod Laver Arena.

Kazakhstan's Elena Rybakina dominates the first set and wins it 6-4 against the World No.1 Aryna Sabalenka.

First it was the rapid forehands that rushed Sabalenka at the baseline, and then it became all about her serve.

Sabalenka cut a frustrated figure, after she could not figure out how to deal with Rybakina's pace.

Rybakina takes the first set 6-4, and puts Sabalenka under huge pressure.

But remember this, back in 2023, Rybakina had made the same start, winning the first set 6-4. But then she faded away, losing the next two sets 3-6, 4-6.

Shorter swing, shorter swing on the return, shouts Sabalenka's coach from the side court.

Sabalenka is trailing 3-5 at the moment.

Aryna Sabalenka had raced to a 40-15 lead in Game 8, but Rybakina's big serves keeps her in the game.

Sabalenka is so, so frustrated right now. She is not able to cope with the 170+ kmph serves.

Rybakina has been fantastic so far. Earlier it was the forehands, and now she holds her nerve to serve it out by saving 2 break points.

Elena Rybakina is hitting the forehands so hard.

Her tall frame is in full show as she hits those shots low and hard. Sabalenka is being swung like a pendulum from one side to the other, as she tries to slice the ball, to stay in the game.

However, Rybakina at the moment can do no wrong.

The only reprieve that Sabalenka has at the moment is perhaps that her backhand is looking good.

The Belarussian is putting in the fight and is trying to stay in the rallies as long as posssible.

Her squash styled forehand is totally locked in on the defense as she tries to figure out how to get the better of Rybakina

However, at the moment Rybakina 4-2 Sabalenka in the women's singles final.

Rybakina holds her serve and takes a 3-1 lead in the first set. Aryna Sabalenka, chasing her 3rd Australian Open cuts a frustrating figure at the moment.

The Belarussian perhaps feels overpowered right now against the Kazakh.

The crowd is rallying Sabalenka up and hoping that she gets lifted.

Former tennis player Annabel Croft on BBC:

"It looks like everything is a bit rushed for Aryna Sabalenka. It doesn't look like she is getting enough time to get her racquet back on return. She is just so panicked to get that first strike in that she is just overplaying everything at the moment, instead of building the points and staying patient. You can see her mind racing."

Sabalenka holds her serve in the third game and makes sure that Rybakina does not take a bigger lead.

This has been a fascinating start in the women's final.

A very aggressive start from Elena Rybakina. The pace on her shots is tremendous, which is rushing Sabalenka on the base line.

Rybakina is aggressive on her returns as well, hitting winners on Sabalenka's forehand side.

Aryna Sabalenka's habit of being jittery at the start cost her the first game.

Elena Rybakina's smashing forehands have taken over and helped her win the first game.

Chances of rain has forced the organisers to close the roof at the Rod Laver Arena.

Be prepared for a very noisy crowd folks. Rybakina will have to hold her nerve.

In the semi-finals of the women's singles final, Elina Svitolina refused to take a photo with Aryna Sabalenka.

No such controversy today as Rybakina stands and smiles with her opponent.

Aryna Sabalenka and Elena Rybakina enter the Rod Laver Arena amid huge roars. You can tell that it is going to be a cracking game tonight.

Sabalenka will be serving first today.

Here's a look at the Australian Open women's singles trophy. Gorgeous, isn't it?

Meanwhile, a nice gesture from Jannik Sinner towards Novak Djokovic, who outlasted the Italian in a marathon semi-final yesterday.

The two finalists, who are hunting the Australian Open crown are training in the changing room.

Will Aryna Sabalenka's power beat Rybakina's craft?

Sabalenka and Rybakina are quite evenly matched, with the Belarusian leading 8-6. But the equation changes in Grand Slams, where Sabalenka leads Rybakina 2-0.

Last year, Aryna Sabalenka’s Australian Open three-peat dream ended abruptly with a shock loss to Madison Keys. It was a rare stumble on her favourite hard courts — and it stung.

Twelve months on, she’s back with a point to prove. Sabalenka hasn’t dropped a set all tournament, brushing aside opponents with ruthless efficiency, save for a brief second-round test against Anastasia Potapova.

Now the World No.1, Brisbane champion, and two wins from history, Sabalenka isn’t just chasing a third AO title, she’s chasing redemption.

As we gear up for the 2026 Sabalenka–Rybakina showdown, the 2023 final tells you exactly why this rivalry still crackles.

Rybakina struck first back then, muscling her way to a 6-4 opening set. Sabalenka hit back harder, storming through the next two sets 6-3, 6-4 in a brutal comeback to seal the title.

With both players in flying form this season, don’t be surprised if tonight delivers the same edge, power and intensity.

Just when you thought the tennis fever was over, another blockbuster clash is coming your way.

Three years on, we are back at the same stage. World No.1 Aryna Sabalenka, riding a wave of confidence and imperious form, takes on familiar rival Elena Rybakina as Rod Laver Arena readies itself for the women’s singles final.

On paper, Sabalenka walks in as the favourite. But as this season has already shown, Rybakina’s blistering form makes her impossible to write off.