Elena Rybakina had many reasons to lose faith in her latest pursuit of a second grand slam title. She had played so well for so much of the Australian Open final, but, just as in their first meeting in a final in Melbourne three years ago, once Aryna Sabalenka began to impose herself, Rybakina lost all control. Trailing 3-0 in the final set, the Kazakhstani’s chances were fading quickly.
Rybakina is renowned for her undemonstrative nature, but her reserved personality belies the grit at the heart of her success. The fifth seed drew on her inner fire to produce one of her finest comebacks, finding a path to victory from a break down in the final set to clinch her first Australian Open title with a supreme 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 win over the world No 1.
