It is going to be Aryna Sabalenka vs Elena Rybakina in the final of the women’s singles at the Australian Open. On Thursday, Aryna Sabalenka proved yet again that the Australian Open is her happiest of hunting grounds by returning to her fourth straight final at Melbourne Park.
By ending the heartwarming run of Elina Svitolina, Sabalenka made possible a dream rematch of the Australian Open 2023 final against Elena Rybakina, who in Thursday night’s second semifinal confirmed it by overcoming a gallant Jessica Pegula in what she described as an “epic” tiebreak.
Sabalenka won that titanic 2023 clash for her first major title and has since hoisted three more Slam trophies to establish herself as the game’s dominant world No.1.
The reigning US Open champion becomes the just the second woman in the history of Melbourne Park to reach four straight Australian Open finals after Martina Hingis and joins Hingis and Steffi Graf as the only women in the Open era to reach the finals at seven consecutive hard-court majors.
I’m grateful for everything I have, says Sabalenka
“I would never think that I would be able to, first of all, make it to the top 10, and secondly to be that consistent, and be able to play on such big arenas,” an emotional Sabalenka said on court. “Every day I’m grateful for everything I have.”
Rybakina, meanwhile, continues her resurgence, storming into the first major final since three years earlier at this very venue.
Like Sabalenka, she’s yet to drop a set this fortnight, making this the first time since Wimbledon 2008 that two women’s Slam finalists have progressed to the title match without surrendering one.
She prevented the dogged Pegula, who saved three match points before earning two set points in the breaker, from reaching her second major final, while at the same time advancing to her third.
“It’s tough, I had an amazing tournament here. I played some really good tennis, beat a lot of really good players, put up a fight tonight, but obviously I want to win the tournament. That always sucks when you don’t,” Pegula said after the 6-3 7-6(7) defeat.
“So, I feel like my experience over the last couple of years has really, I don’t know, made me feel a lot more comfortable at this stage.
“I made now two Slam semifinals back-to-back, I think that’s really good and put myself in these positions. I still feel like I’m getting better as a player.”
As Rybakina and Sabalenka returned to the final in Melbourne, a legendary pair of wheelchair stars, surprisingly, did not.
British duo Alfie Hewett and Gordon Reid were stunned in the semifinals by Tokito Oda and Gustavo Fernandez in a match tiebreak, ending their quest for a staggering seventh consecutive Australian Open men’s wheelchair doubles title.
In singles, all the usual suspects advanced, with icons Yui Kamiji, Diede de Groot, Sam Schroder, Niels Vink, plus Oda and Hewett, all powering into the semifinals as the wheelchair championships approach their thrilling pointy end.
Australian fans had plenty to cheer about at Melbourne Park on Thursday when wildcards Jason Kubler and Marc Polmans advanced to the men’s doubles final.
Their three-set win over Luke Johnson and Jan Zielinski at Rod Laver Arena means Kubler is now one victory away from repeating as an AO doubles champion, after his 2023 title with Rinky Hijikata.
And with Olivia Gadecki and John Peers appearing in the mixed doubles final for the second-year running, the host nation improves its chances of having yet another home-grown champion in at least one event – a record intact since 2011.
