Sabalenka Beats Rybakina for Australian Open Women’s Title

Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus holds the Daphne Akhurst Memorial Trophy aloft after defeating Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan in the women's singles final at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Saturday, Jan. 28, 2023 (AP)
Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus holds the Daphne Akhurst Memorial Trophy aloft after defeating Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan in the women's singles final at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Saturday, Jan. 28, 2023 (AP)
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Sabalenka Beats Rybakina for Australian Open Women’s Title

Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus holds the Daphne Akhurst Memorial Trophy aloft after defeating Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan in the women's singles final at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Saturday, Jan. 28, 2023 (AP)
Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus holds the Daphne Akhurst Memorial Trophy aloft after defeating Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan in the women's singles final at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Saturday, Jan. 28, 2023 (AP)

Aryna Sabalenka won her first Grand Slam title by coming back to beat Elena Rybakina 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 in the Australian Open women’s final Saturday.

The 24-year-old Sabalenka, who is from Belarus, was appearing in her first major final.

She improved to 11-0 in 2023, and the only set she has dropped all season was the opener on Saturday against Wimbledon champion Rybakina.

But Sabalenka turned things around with an aggressive style that resulted in 51 winners, 20 more than her opponent. She used 17 aces to overcome seven double-faults. And she managed to break the big-serving Rybakina three times, the last coming for a 4-3 lead in the third set that she never relinquished.

Still, Sabalenka needed to work for the championship while serving in what would be the last game, double-faulting on her initial match point and requiring three more to close things out.

When Rybakina sent a forehand long to cap the final after nearly 2 1/2 hours, Sabalenka dropped to her back on the court and stayed down for a bit, covering her face as her eyes welled with tears.

Sabalenka is a powerful player whose most glowing strength was also her most glaring shortfall: her serve. Long capable of hammering aces, she also had a well-known problem with double-faulting, leading the tour in that category last year with nearly 400, including more than 20 apiece in some matches.

After much prodding from her team, she finally agreed to undergo an overhaul of her serving mechanics last August. That, along with a commitment to trying to stay calm in the most high-pressure moments, is really paying off now.

Sabalenka was 0-3 in Grand Slam semifinals until eliminating Magda Linette in Melbourne. Now Sabalenka has done one better and will rise to No. 2 in the rankings.

As seagulls were squawking loudly while flying overhead at Rod Laver Arena, Rybakina and Sabalenka traded booming serves. Rybakina’s fastest arrived at 121 mph (195 kph), Sabalenka’s at 119 mph (192 kph). They traded zooming groundstrokes from the baseline, often untouchable, resulting in winner after winner.

The key statistic, ultimately, was this: Sabalenka accumulated 13 break points, Rybakina seven. And although Sabalenka converted just a trio of them, that was enough, and the constant pressure she managed to apply during Rybakina’s service games had to take a toll.

Sabalenka had been broken just six times in 55 service games through the course of these two weeks, an average of once per match. It took Rybakina fewer than 10 minutes of action and all of two receiving games to get the measure of things and lead 2-1, helped by getting back one serve that arrived at 117 mph (189 kph).

A few games later, Sabalenka returned the favor, also putting her racket on one of Rybakina’s offerings at that same speed. Then, when Sabalenka grooved a down-the-line backhand passing winner to grab her first break and pull even at 4-all, she looked at her coach and fitness coach in the stands, raised a fist and shouted.

In the next game, though, Sabalenka gave that right back, double-faulting twice — including on break point — to give Rybakina a 5-4 edge. This time, Sabalenka again turned toward her entourage, but with a sigh and an eye roll and arms extended, as if to say, “Can you believe it?”

Soon after, Rybakina held at love to own that set.

Sabalenka changed the momentum right from the get-go in the second set. Aggressively attacking, she broke to go up 3-1, held for 4-1 and eventually served it out, fittingly, with an ace — on a second serve, no less.

Sabalenka acknowledged ahead of time that she expected to be nervous. Which makes perfect sense: This was the most important match of her career to date.

And if those jitters were evident ever-so-briefly early — she double-faulted on the evening's very first point — and appeared to be resurfacing as the end neared, Sabalenka controlled them well enough to finish the job.



James Blake Says Future of Tennis is in Good Hands

Tennis - Italian Open - Foro Italico, Rome, Italy - May 7, 2025 General view inside the court during the round of 128 match between Serbia's Dusan Lajovic and Japan's Yoshihito Nishioka REUTERS/Aleksandra Szmigiel
Tennis - Italian Open - Foro Italico, Rome, Italy - May 7, 2025 General view inside the court during the round of 128 match between Serbia's Dusan Lajovic and Japan's Yoshihito Nishioka REUTERS/Aleksandra Szmigiel
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James Blake Says Future of Tennis is in Good Hands

Tennis - Italian Open - Foro Italico, Rome, Italy - May 7, 2025 General view inside the court during the round of 128 match between Serbia's Dusan Lajovic and Japan's Yoshihito Nishioka REUTERS/Aleksandra Szmigiel
Tennis - Italian Open - Foro Italico, Rome, Italy - May 7, 2025 General view inside the court during the round of 128 match between Serbia's Dusan Lajovic and Japan's Yoshihito Nishioka REUTERS/Aleksandra Szmigiel

James Blake believes men's tennis is poised for another Golden Era thanks to blossoming rivalries between the likes of Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner as the ex-world number four prepares to return to action himself as part of the new Legends Team Cup.
Blake, who retired from the ATP Tour in 2013 after a career spent battling greats including Andre Agassi, Andy Roddick, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, said every changing of the guard brings anxiety that the sport will regress.
"With every generation there's this dread of a doomsday situation," he told Reuters from a golf course in San Diego.
"What's going to happen when all these legends leave? I remember when it was, 'What is the Tour going to do when (Pete) Sampras and Agassi are gone?'
"And then before you know it Roger and Rafa show up. Novak (Djokovic) is still hanging on, not wanting to pass the torch, but at this point it's kind of being ripped out of his hands by the likes of Sinner and Alcaraz."
He said the contrast in playing styles and personalities - the passionate Alcaraz's improvisational assault verse the emotionally reserved Sinner's aggressive baseline slugging - makes them ideal foes.
"The game just gets better and better," said Blake, who is the tournament director of the Miami Open and a commentator for ESPN.
"I'm never gonna be one of those commentators that says, you know, back in my day, we would do it better than this.
"No. The game keeps getting better and I love that about it. And seeing how Sinner plays makes me very happy I'm retired. The guy just has absolutely zero holes. So it's really fun to see."
LEGENDS TEAM CUP
Blake will make his return to competitive tennis this summer when the Legends Team Cup debuts.
Blake, Spanish former world number one Carlos Moya and two-time Davis Cup champion Mark Philippoussis of Australia are the captains of the team competition, which divides 18 former players into three teams.
Blake said it will not be like the "hit and giggle" exhibition events former pros sometimes take part in, in part because of the $12 million total prize purse on the line.
"When you leave from being a pro tennis player, your competitive spirit doesn't leave," said the 45-year-old Blake.
"You maybe can't play at that absolute top, top level that we were all at and we're all used to and your body starts failing you a little bit.
"So to have an opportunity to still really compete with others that have that ability and that fire is such a cool concept."
The first Legends Teams Cup event will see Team Blake take on Team Philippoussis in St. Barth June 12-14.