Preview WTA Australian Open Final | Aryna Sabalenka looks for third title while Rybakina targets revenge
WTAFriday, 30 January 2026 at 15:30
The time is nearly upon us. The 2026 WTA Australian Open is near conclusion, with the coveted Grand Slam title in reach for one of Aryna Sabalenka or Elena Rybakina, who will clash for glory on day 14 at Melbourne Park.
128 players entered the main draw with a variety of ambitions. Now, the two strongest remain. The likes of Iga Swiatek, Coco Gauff, Amanda Anisimova, Jessica Pagula, Mirra Andreeva and the 2025 champion Madison Keys has all failed to make it this far, with possibly the two most inform players on the planet clashing once more in a final in Melbourne.
Back in 2023, the pair locked horns with both targeting a first Australian Open triumph. It would go the way of Sabalenka, who came back from a set deficit to clinch a second Grand Slam title 4-6, 6-3, 6-4. Since then, the Belarusian has reached the final every year, defeating Zheng Qinwen before losing to Keys last year. She will be looking to not only take her title back but extract her revenge on Rybakina who got the better of her in their most recent meeting.
Sabalenka looking for Australian Open number three
Only Evonne Goolagong and Martina Hingis have made four consecutive finals. A fifth and unprecedented final next year will be on the world number one's mind in 12 months, but for now it is all about retaining her title.
She has been utterly dominant Down Under for some years now, regularly winning a plethora of titles with complete and utter dominance on court, favouring a hard court surface. This equates very well to the big stage, especially in Grand Slams. She made three finals last year, only winning the US Open right at the end of the year.
Her lead as the world number one has been extended thanks to Swiatek dropping ranking points, and it will be extended to over 3,700 points if she takes home the title.
That is a big if, with her against a very tricky opponent. However, her form in 2026 has been ridiculous. Yet to drop a set, she stormed to the Brisbane International title with flying colours before romping ominously towards the final in Melbourne.
She got the better of Tiantsoa Rakotomanga Rajaonah (6-4, 6-1), Zhuoxuan Bai (6-3, 6-1), Anastasia Potapova (7-6, 7-6), Victoria Mboko (6-1, 7-6), Iva Jovic (6-3, 6-0) and Elina Svitolina (6-2, 6-3) in six domineering showcases of tennis.
Rybakina looking to continue upturn in form
Since the second part of the Asian swing, there is an argument that inly Sabalenka can be put in the same league as Rybakina. The Kazakh tennis player has been brilliant since managing to just squeeze into the WTA Finals, going on to not lose a match enroute to taking home an immense victory. She earned over $5 million and gained a whole heap of ranking points.
The Australian Open ranking points that she is set to collect will see her return to the world number three spot she once was sat in. A title will move her within touching distance of Swiatek, with only a few hundred points the gap if she clinches a second Grand Slam title. The first came back in Wimbledon in 2022, with her second and most recent final coming in this event in 2023.
Desperate to turn that night of despair into triumph, she will have to be on her best game to resist the powerful hitting of Sabalenka, not wanting to get overpowered. Adding to that, her weapon of a serve will come very handy. If that is at its best, then she may be the overwhelming favourite for the title, with it virtually impossible to break from at times, or at least that is how it feels.
She is also yet to drop a set in this tournament like her rival. She defeated Kaia Juvan (6-4, 6-3), Varvara Gracheva (7-5, 6-2), Tereza Valentova (6-1, 6-3), Swiatek (7-5, 6-1) and Pegula (6-3, 7-6). With these two massive top 10 wins in her most recent matches, she will be brimming with confidence heading into the final showdown, with belief she can repeat the victory from a couple of months ago.
Head-to-head
The duo have faced off against each other 14 times in the past. Sabalenka is currently in the lead, having won eight of their previous contests.
Sabalenka was utterly dominant at the start, winning their first four meetings which culminated in the Australian Open. Rybakina got a bit of revenge in the final of the Indian Wells Open, with another win in 2023 in the quarter-finals of the China Open.
Since then, it has been alternating between who wins. There was another final mixed in there, with Rybakina winning in the 2024 Brisbane International. Numerous quarter-final and semi-final showdowns lead to their most lucrative meeting in the final of the 2025 WTA Finals. Rybakina continued her imperious from in Riyadh as she dealt another huge final defeat to Sabalenka that year, winning 6-3, 7-6.
This match will still be firmly on the memories of both players for different reasons, with them both waiting to strike the next blow and clinch a prestigious Grand Slam title to kick off 2026 in the perfect way possible.
Sabalenka v Rybakina head to head
| # | Date | Tournament | Round | Winner | Score |
| 1 | 26 Sep 2019 | Wuhan Open | QF | Sabalenka | 6–3, 1–6, 6–1 |
| 2 | 11 Jan 2021 | Abu Dhabi | QF | Sabalenka | 6–4, 4–6, 6–3 |
| 3 | 05 Jul 2021 | Wimbledon | R4 | Sabalenka | 6–3, 4–6, 6–3 |
| 4 | 28 Jan 2023 | Australian Open | Final | Sabalenka | 4–6, 6–3, 6–4 |
| 5 | 19 Mar 2023 | Indian Wells | Final | Rybakina | 7–6(11), 6–4 |
| 6 | 06 Oct 2023 | Beijing Open | QF | Rybakina | 7–5, 6–2 |
| 7 | 03 Nov 2023 | WTA Finals RR | RR | Sabalenka | 6–2, 3–6, 6–3 |
| 8 | 07 Jan 2024 | Brisbane | Final | Rybakina | 6–0, 6–3 |
| 9 | 02 May 2024 | Madrid Open | SF | Sabalenka | 1–6, 7–5, 7–6(5) |
| 10 | 06 Nov 2024 | WTA Finals RR | RR | Rybakina | 6–4, 3–6, 6–1 |
| 11 | 20 Jun 2025 | Berlin Open | QF | Sabalenka | 7–6(6), 3–6, 7–6(6) |
| 12 | 15 Aug 2025 | Cincinnati Open | QF | Rybakina | 6–1, 6–4 |
| 13 | 10 Oct 2025 | Wuhan Open | QF | Sabalenka | 6–3, 6–3 |
| 14 | 08 Nov 2025 | WTA Finals Final | Final | Rybakina | 6–3, 7–6(0) |
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- Sabalenka should ignore that nonsense and continue doing what she does. The sport of tennis has been corrupted by the American government. And America is the most racist country on earth. It is clear that some players are being targeted for discrimination based on their nationality. Screaming hasn't just start in tennis. Sharapova, Serena, etc. always did scream and nothing was said. You cannot control ignorance.
- If she wants privacy, then she should quit tennis. The same thing happened to Sabalenka at the US Open after she loss the final, and no one was talking about privacy. Instead they criticized Sabalenka. Anyone who knows Gauff is well aware that she is a sore loser and cannot control her anger after a loss. You cannot tell someone where to place their cameras. She needs to separate herself from her parents and GROW UP. She is 21 years old.
- Coco is a sore loser. She does that all the time. At least now, she goes behind closed doors, instead of interrupting the matches with her meltdown. The same thing happened to Sabalenka at the US Open. The only difference is, Sabalenka knows how to handle things like an adult. Gauff on the other hand needs to GROW UP. She is 21 and she needs to act like it. There is no way you can play a sport and cannot stand to lose.
- No one is interested in seeing her. She is not going to do anything but cheat a younger player out of a wildcard and lose in the first round. If their lives is that miserable and they want to return, let them go thru qualifications like everyone else.
- She never ever screams in practice. Not ever.
- I'm amazed at the freedom cameras have on courts as well. In the past, cross-court cameras were vividly showing what amounted to "upskirts" as women sat on their respective benches. The players resorted to placing towels between or over their legs. A practice still in play today. Same with camera's habits of basically zooming-in on down-blouse shots. That seems to have lessened; at least no more zooming-in as they bend forward prepping to face an opponent's serve. In addition, the invasion of privacy during medical treatment on-court is absurd. As are the in-your-face close-ups of players at their bench. If I were seeking a moment to concentrate or simply relax between games I'd trash that camera in a nanosecond.
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