Elena Rybakina wins ‘This’ Prize Money After Toppling Aryna Sabalenka in Australian Open Final
Elena Rybakina lifted her career's second Grand Slam trophy by denying Aryna Sabalenka her third title in Melbourne.
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Aryna Sabalenka, Elena Rybakina (Image via X/News Aryna Sabalenka, The Tennis Letter)
Elena Rybakina reigned supreme once again! After downing Aryna Sabalenka in the title clash of last year’s WTA Finals, the Kazakh ace lifted her career’s second Grand Slam title with a 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 victory over the Belarusian ace in the final of the Australian Open.
En route to clinching a top 10 win for the 10th consecutive time, Rybakina eliminated six-time Grand Slam champion Iga Swiatek in the quarterfinals and 2024 US Open finalist Jessica Pegula in the semifinals. Then, in what was also a rematch of the 2023 Australian Open final, Rybakina reeled off five games in a row in the third set, and after failing to break Sabalenka, she capitalized on her lead on her serve and became an Australian Open champion for the first time in her career.
The win helped Rybakina improve her head-to-head record to 7-8 over the four-time Grand Slam singles champion. Sabalenka played her seventh consecutive hard-court final since defeating Rybakina in the title clash of the 2023 Melbourne Slam.
The 27-year-old, in fact, played her fourth consecutive Australian Open singles final. After defeating Rybakina in 2023, she defended her crown against Qinwen Zheng the following season. Last year, Madison Keys denied her the three-peat.
Rybakina, who became the fourth woman to beat both the World No.1 and the World No.2 en route to winning the Australian Open, will take home US$2,888,400 as prize money, while Sabalenka pocketed US$1,496,400.
Aryna Sabalenka cuts a distressing figure after her defeat to Elena Rybakina in the Australian Open final
Since the 2025 season, the player who dominated the most on the women’s tour is Aryna Sabalenka. Last year, she made nine finals, winning four titles, including her second consecutive US Open.
After her defeat to Madison Keys in the Australian Open, Sabalenka suffered another heartbreak, this time at the hands of Coco Gauff in the French Open final. Sure, in this Australian Open, it was not the result the World No.1 was fighting for. Right after her defeat, overwhelmed with various emotions, Sabalenka sat on her chair and covered her head with a towel.
Aryna 💔💔💔💔💔💔💔💔💔 pic.twitter.com/bwHNCN1G7d
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) January 31, 2026
Thank you to my team for always being there…for enjoy me losing finals. But also sometimes we win them, so let’s hope for the best.
Aryna Sabalenka said during the runner-up speech
Both Sabalenka and Elena Rybakina lost a set in the tournament for the first time. Sabalenka, in fact, lost a set for the first time this season, as before arriving in Melbourne, she won all her Brisbane International matches, including in the final against Marta Kostyuk in straight sets.
It’s hard to find words right now. I want to congratulate Aryna for amazing results for a couple of years. I know it’s tough, but I hope we’re gonna play many more finals together. Congrats to your team for all the improvements. Great job you’ve done.
Elena Rybakina said during her winner’s speech
Sabalenka is now 4-4 in the Grand Slam singles final and has an 11-1 win-loss record this year. She will continue to remain on top of the rankings table.
Rybakina, on the other hand, will reclaim her career-high ranking of No.3 on Monday, removing Gauff from the spot. She is 9-1 this season. Last year in Melbourne, Rybakina suffered a fourth-round exit. She also lost in the last 16 at the French Open and the US Open, while at Wimbledon, her run ended in the third round.
She reached three finals last year, winning all. After winning the Strasbourg Open, Rybakina clinched the Ningbo Open, helping her become the eighth player to secure a spot in the WTA Finals, which she ultimately won.
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