Elena Rybakina claimed her first Australian Open title by defeating world primary Aryna Sabalenka in an exhilarating last. The Kazakh fifth seed overcame a 3-0 deficit within the decisive third set to safe a 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 victory, avenging her loss to the two-time champion from the earlier 12 months’s occasion.
The Comeback Win
Rybakina, the 2022 Wimbledon champion, showcased resilience on Saturday as she received 5 straight video games to show the match round. Sabalenka appeared poised for her fifth main singles title, however Rybakina’s willpower prevailed, beautiful followers together with her efficiency.
On-Court docket Change with Coach
This victory provides to Rybakina’s repute for standout moments. Through the Cincinnati Open in August 2023, she dominated Jelena Ostapenko in a three-set Spherical of 32 match. Whereas trailing within the first set, cameras caught Rybakina firmly addressing her coach, Stefano Vukov, whom she has labored with since 2019: “If I want one thing I am going to ask.”
The alternate highlighted her independence, particularly notable given their profitable partnership that led to her Wimbledon triumph the 12 months prior.
Fan Reactions on Social Media
Social media customers celebrated the second, describing it as iconic. One publish on X famous, “Elena is lowkey SASSY,” whereas one other noticed, “She was like no no no, let me cook dinner a bit.”
Standing Up for Gamers
Rybakina has additionally voiced issues on behalf of athletes. That very same week in 2023, she criticized the WTA management following rain delays on the Canadian Open in Montreal. Her quarterfinal and semifinal matches confronted vital postponements, forcing her to play till 3 a.m. in opposition to Daria Kasatkina, whom she defeated.
Nonetheless, lack of sleep impacted her semifinal in opposition to Liudmila Samsonova, leading to a loss. Afterward, Rybakina expressed frustration: “I really feel destroyed simply due to the scheduling and the entire scenario. I’m probably not joyful about it, however yeah, it’s what it’s. Sadly, gamers can’t do a lot in these conditions. The choice is just not actually ours. The climate was not useful.”
She described the WTA management as “weak” and “unprofessional,” including, “It is the primary time and hopefully the final time as a result of I feel it’s been just a little bit unprofessional… Management is just a little bit weak for now, however hopefully one thing goes to alter as a result of this 12 months it was many conditions which I can’t actually perceive.”
