The stage is set for the final of the 2026 Women’s Australian Open as Aryna Sabalenka will face Elena Rybakina which has been tagged as a blockbuster.
The final was set after world number one kept her cool to storm past Elina Svitolina and reach a fourth Melbourne showpiece in a row. Two-time winner Sabalenka overcame eveey call against her in the fourth game of the match to thrash Svitolina 6-2 6-3.
Former Wimbledon champion Rybakina then overcame American Jessica Pegula 6-3 7-6 (9-7) to seal the chance to avenge her 2023 final loss to Sabalenka.
Sabalenka, bidding for a fifth Grand Slam singles title, is on an 11-match winning streak and has hit the most winners of any player during this year’s tournament (172).
Rybakina has lost just one of her past 20 matches -and it is the Kazakh world number five who edges their head-to-head on hard courts 6-5. Sabalenka will also be searching for some redemption after last year’s final, when she felt she was “not brave enough” in a three-set loss to Madison Keys.