The Belarusian takes the title in Melbourne under a neutral flag. In the final, she beat Kazakh Elena Rybakina 4-6, 6-3, 6-4.
Aryna Sabalenka has won the Australian Open for the first time. The 24-year-old beat Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 in a hard-fought final in Melbourne. Sabalenka, who hails from Belarus, is the first neutral athlete to win a major tournament. She has not lost any of her eleven matches this year.
“I’m still shaking,” said Sabalenka, thanking her “crazy” team: “This trophy is more about you than me.” Rybakina emphasized that she is already looking forward to returning next year: “I had goosebumps playing in this atmosphere.”
Sabalenka secured prize money of 1.95 million euros and jumped to second place in the world rankings. Rybakina can console herself with around one million and will first move into the top 10 of the WTA ranking. Born in Russia, she has been playing for Kazakhstan since 2018 and made her country’s first Grand Slam triumph at Wimbledon.