Elena Rybakina avenges her defeat in the 2023 final to beat top seed Aryna Sabalenka and win her maiden Melbourne title at the 2026 Australian Open

"It is hard to find words now, but of course I want to congratulate Aryna for amazing results for a couple of years and I know it is tough, I just hope we are going to play many more finals together and of course congrats to your team for all the improvement and the great job you have done.

"I want to say thanks of course to you guys for such an incredible atmosphere, it was a battle and honestly your support kept us going.

"Thank you everyone who made this tournament possible. It really is the 'Happy Slam' and I always enjoy coming here and playing in front of you guys.

"Of course I would like to say thank you to my team, without you it wouldn’t be possible. We had a lot of things going on and I’m really glad we achieved this result. Hopefully we can keep on going strong this year."

"Honestly guys, I'm really speechless right now.

"Elena, I want to congratulate you; incredible run, incredible tennis, congrats to you and your team on an incredible achievement."

She thanks the fans, her team, the tournament officials and says she loves the supporters in the Arena.

She concludes by saying: "Let's hope next year, Daphne's (winner's trophy) going to be ours, right?"

It’s sweet revenge for Elena Rybakina!

The Kazakhstani star lost to Aryna Sabalenka in the 2023 Australian Open final, but three years on she triumphs over the world number one to land her maiden title in Melbourne.

It is the fifth seed’s second Grand Slam title, adding the Daphne Akhurst Memorial Cup to her Wimbledon crown back in 2022.

Elena served out on her first match, nailing a sixth ace of the final to clinch the trophy in two hours and 18 minutes.

For Sabalenka, it is more Grand Slam heartache as she finishes as runner-up Down Under for the second year in a row and has now lost three of her last four major finals (four out of eight overall).

The nerves jangle in the Rybakina camp as she thuds a crosscourt forehand attempt into the net.

The fifth seed responds with a huge forehand down the line and then fires another to the other corner to move within two points of glory.

Sabalenka keeps the heat on at Pulp (30-30) with a backhand winner but the Kazakhstani slams down a service winner to earn match point....

Aryna rushes through a hold to 15 to give herself one last chance to rekindle her title hopes.

Rybakina will now serve for her second major.

The Kazakhstani had trouble serving out against Pegula in the semi-final – can she keep her nerve now?

Rybakina hits back from 0-15 with a powerhouse serve and a drilled backhand down the line.

Sabalenka can’t find the island as her irritation flows into her groundstrokes and another massive first serve edges Elena to a hold to 30 and within a game of the title.

But Elena has come surging back.

Sabalenka comes under the cosh with some potential nerves showing in her groundstrokes as she drags a shaky backhand wide off another low ball on her way to coughing up two break points.

The top seed saves one with a big first serve but then blasts a tight forehand into the net on the second!

Rybakina hits the front and has now won four games in a row.

Elena shows some rare frustration on that poker-face as she zaps a forecourt forehand long with Sabalenka deep to her right and out of the point.

A lovely kick serve down the T helps her regain the ascendancy but Aryna lands two rasping returns, forcing a response long on the latter to earn a break point.

Rybakina just can’t find that first serve and is relieved to see the Belarusian’s crosscourt backhand return land wide by a whisker.

The Kazakhstani hopeful finally comes up clutch with a pair of first serves to claw her way level in this decider.

What a response!

Rybakina was looking a little flat and almost resigned to the Sabalenka comeback, but that pep talk from her coach from 30-30 in the last game seems to have given her renewed belief.

The fifth seed unloads the sort of heavy, deep strikes that did such damage early in the opener and works her way to two break points.

She only needs one as Sabalenka fails to deal with the flat, low trajectory deep to her baseline and drags an awkward forehand into the net.

There’s a lot of chatter from Rybakina’s team as she allows a 30-0 lead to slip away.

Whatever was said seems to pay dividends as an ace and a clutch serve down the T belatedly get her on the board in this decider.

It’s an error-strewn game from Aryna as she looks to back up that early break.

The top seed leaks errors off the forehand but roars with delight as she swats away a break back point with a mid-court forehand.

A clutch serve and an emphatic overhead do the rest from deuce as she consolidates from what was initially a sticky situation.

Rybakina’s first serve goes AWOL – and it proves costly!

Sabalenka conjures up some magic with a supreme inside-in forehand before earning break point with some devilishly acute angle her winner off a pulsating backhand-to-backhand exchange.

The Belarusian continues to red-line as she sizes up the second serve and nails the winner down the line to take charge of this final.

Rybakina can only offer one riposte with a lightning forehand that clips the back edge of the baseline.

It feels like Sabalenka has some clear momentum now, but if Elena can find the first serve more often she’ll give herself a real chance.

Sabalenka turns the screw with some super hustle from deep beyond her baseline that ends with Elena dribbling a half volley into the net.

The Belarusian hammers a wonderful forehand winner down the line and then pockets three set points when Rybakina blasts a loose forehand off the island.

The fifth seed can’t recover and Saba gets enough fizz on a pass down the line to force a block volley wide and convert on her first opportunity.

All square - we are going the distance!

Sabalenka lashes a forehand long on the opening point and Elena will rue getting a racquet on the next two serves but not quite finding the island.

The world number one takes control with a crushing, deep backhand down the line and then dominates what proves to be the final rally as Rybakina can only drag into the net on the stretch.