Elena Rybakina said she was delighted to reach the level shown by rivals Aryna Sabalenka and Iga Swiatek again, having beaten the dominant duo of women's tennis on the way to claiming her second Grand Slam title at the Australian Open on Saturday.
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The 26-year-old Kazakh dismantled world No 1 Sabalenka 6-4 4-6 6-4 in the final on Rod Laver Arena to add another major trophy to her cabinet following her breakthrough Wimbledon triumph in 2022.
It followed a fluent quarterfinal victory over Swiatek and left her on a hot streak of 14 wins from her last 15 matches, a run that includes her WTA Finals triumph last year.
First round - def. Juvan 6-4 6-3
— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) January 31, 2026
Second round - def. Gracheva 7-5 6-2
Third round - def. Valentova 6-2 6-3
Fourth round - def. (21) Mertens 6-1 6-3
Quarterfinal - def. (2) Swiatek 7-5 6-1
Semifinal - def. (6) Pegula 6-3 7-6(7)
Final - def. (1) Sabalenka 6-4 4-6 6-4
A champion's… pic.twitter.com/RWPpDqS20j
"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.
"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 arrived at the year's opening Grand Slam having lost in the Brisbane International tune-up tournament quarterfinals and while she did not believe she was unbeatable, she said her Melbourne success stemmed from steady improvement.
"I played in Brisbane and lost the match there. I feel like throughout the last couple of weeks I improved, which is really nice," Rybakina 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 semifinal 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."