Key events
Tale of the tape
Sabalenka – Rybakina
27 Age 26
1 Seeding 5
1 World ranking 5
4 Grand slam titles 1
8 Grand slam finals 3
22 Singles titles 11
8 Head-to-head 6
And a lovely gallery of the best images from week two as well:
Meanwhile, I’ve just eaten far too many overnight oats for breakfast (I thought I better fuel up in case this goes the distance – I was underprepared for Djokovic v Sinner yesterday) and am feeling a little sleepy. So here’s Tumaini’s preview until I wake myself up:
At the end of yet another semi-final in Melbourne on Thursday night, Aryna Sabalenka slammed the door shut on Elina Svitolina with a searing forehand winner, her 29th of the night. It was another near flawless performance from the Belarusian, another match she dominated from start to finish without any response, reinforcing her status as the leading hard court player of her generation.
Six matches in, Sabalenka’s fourth consecutive run to the Australian Open final has proved one of her most impressive. She is yet to drop a set and has shown how much her game has evolved by also dominating the net and peppering opponents with an array of drop shots. The few times she has been pushed, such as in her third round match against Anastasia Potapova, the world No 1 has produced her best tennis in the decisive moments and been in control of the baseline throughout.
A completely different match-up awaits Sabalenka on Saturday as she faces Elena Rybakina, the fifth seed and one of her toughest rivals, for her fifth grand slam title. While their career achievements reflect the fact that Sabalenka is more rounded, a better mover and returner with greater variation and consistency, Rybakina is one of the only players capable of tearing the racket from Sabalenka’s hands.
This was the case just three months ago at the end-of-season finals in Riyadh, where Rybakina closed out a spectacular 6-3, 7-6 (0) win over Sabalenka to clinch the second biggest title of her career behind her Wimbledon crown. At the end of the match, after the Kazakhstani bulldozed through the second set tie-break without dropping a point, an inconsolable Sabalenka was captured on video venting to her team: “Once a year, even a stick shoots,” she said of Rybakina’s performance.
Rybakina is not nearly as erratic as Sabalenka suggested, but her title run in Riyadh had come after many false starts. Until a few weeks before the finals, Rybakina was not even in a qualifying spot as one of the top eight players. Her late surge in Asia to reach the event increasingly looks like one of the more significant moments of her career. She has continued the momentum she built in Riyadh, also reaching this final in Melbourne without dropping a set. While Sabalenka’s level has been astounding, there is no doubt that Rybakina has had the tougher path to the final, defeating two top players in the world No 2, Iga Swiatek, and Jessica Pegula, the No 6.
You can read the rest here:
Already today, Britain’s Neal Skupski and his American partner Christian Harrison have claimed the men’s doubles title in their first slam together. Skupski – who also triumphed at Wimbledon in 2023 – and Harrison beat the Australians Jason Kubler and Marc Polmans 7-6, 6-4. It continues Britain’s recent advances in men’s doubles – it’s the third time in the past five majors that one British player has triumphed in the event and there are no less than five players currently in the world’s top 10 – and we can only hope that some of that success will extend into the singles in the future too. Having Jack Draper back fit and healthy would help; he could return after five months out injured in Britain’s Davis Cup tie against Norway next week.
Preamble
G’day everyone! After this tournament suddenly and belatedly exploded into life yesterday with two men’s semi-finals for the ages, today we could have another blockbuster as Aryna Sabalenka and Elena Rybakina face each other for the women’s title, in a repeat of the 2023 final.
Sabalenka came from a set down then to win her first grand slam, and has gone on to not only become a four-time major champion and undisputed world No 1 but accumulate serious numbers on hard courts that have surpassed even some of Serena’s stats. This is Sabalenka’s seventh consecutive major final on the surface – something matched only by Martina Hingis and Steffi Graf in the open era – and victory would secure her third Australian Open title in four years. She’s the female version of Jannik Sinner on hard courts – well, Sinner before he lost to Novak Djokovic.
But Rybakina, when she’s on her game, is capable of taking the racket out of anyone’s hands, Sabalenka included. After injury, illness and the suspension of her coach, the 2022 Wimbledon champion is playing some of her best tennis in three years, underlined by her statement victory over Sabalenka nearly three months ago to win the season-ending WTA Finals.
Rybakina may be the world No 5 but these are the best two players in the world right now, who have shown they can bring out the best in each other on the biggest stages. Despite the variation Sabalenka has added to her game, this will essentially be power vs power and first-strike tennis to take the breath away, with the contrast in personalities between the heart-on-her-sleeve Belarusian Sabalenka and clinically composed Russian-born Kazakhstani Rybakina making this all the more absorbing.
The players will arrive on court at about: 7.30pm Melbourne time/8.30am GMT. Don’t go anywhere!
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