Elena Rybakina set up a blockbuster rematch of the 2023 final at Melbourne Park with Aryna Sabalenka by edging past American Jessica Pegula 6-3, 7-6 in 1 hour 40 minutes at the Rod Laver Arena. The fifth seed, Russian-born Kazakh, will take on familiar foe Sabalenka in the final on Saturday in her bid for a second major title following her 2022 Wimbledon triumph.
In an earlier match, top-seeded Belarusian Sabalenka stormed past Elina Svitolina 6-2, 6-3 to reach her fourth straight final at Melbourne Park. The world number one is seeking her third title at the tournament in four years and fifth Grand Slam trophy overall after a clinical display at her favourite hunting ground.
“I just can’t believe that. It’s an incredible achievement, but the job is not done yet,” world number one Sabalenka said.
“I’m super happy with the win. She’s such a tough opponent and has been playing incredible tennis the whole week.”
Courtesy of the dominant win, Sabalenka became the third woman in the professional era to reach the Australian Open final four times in a row after Evonne Goolagong Cawley (1971-76) and Martina Hingis (1997-2002), who each reached six finals on the trot.
Sabalenka vs Rybakina: A clash worthy of a final!
Despite being on a hot run, Sabalenka will be wary of an opponent who defeated six-time Grand Slam winner Iga Swiatek in the semifinal and has been on a sensational run, winning 19 of her last 20 matches.
Rybakina also has fond memories of her title-clinching win against Sabalenka in the WTA Finals in Riyadh in November.
Meanwhile, Pegula would be rueing an under-par performance, especially after an impressive win against last year’s champion and fellow American Madison Keys in the quarterfinal, which helped her enter her maiden Australian Open semis.
Pegula looked off-colour in the first set but played some good tennis in the second, saving three match points on serve at 3-5 before pulling off a superb break to force a tie-break.
However, the 26-year-old Rybakina held her nerves to reach her third Grand Slam final.