TENNIS: New Melbourne queen Rybakina happy to find highest level again

MELBOURNE – Elena Rybakina celebrated a dominant run at the Australian Open on Saturday, defeating world number one Aryna Sabalenka 6‑4, 4‑6, 6‑4 in the final to win her second Grand Slam title. The 26-year-old Kazakh also overcame another top rival, Iga Swiatek, in the quarter-finals, continuing a hot streak that has seen her win 14 of her last 15 matches, including last year’s WTA Finals.

Rybakina, who first captured a major trophy at Wimbledon in 2022, said she was thrilled to reach the same level as the sport’s leading stars once again.

"Of course, they're tough opponents, and they have great results, and for so long they're at the top and it has been stable," Rybakina told reporters. "I'm happy that now I'm getting back to this level and hopefully I can be stable again throughout the whole season and keep on showing great tennis and good results."

She added, "Yeah, it's a lot of tough matches I had here. I'm glad the opportunities which I was getting during the match, I managed to take it and win in the end."

Rybakina came into Melbourne after a quarter-final exit at the Brisbane International, but credited her steady improvement over the past weeks for her success.

"I played in Brisbane and lost the match there. I feel like throughout the last couple of weeks I improved, which is really nice," she said. "Each match was different but, again, my serve was in the beginning not as good. The movement was not the same as today and semi-final match against Jessica Pegula. I'm just very proud of the work I did with my team, and that I found my best form here at the Grand Slam."

-Reporting by Shrivathsa Sridhar in Melbourne; Editing by Clare Fallon/Reuters