"Her low-key celebration was symbolic of her understated run through the tournament: a small fist pump, a quick embrace with Sabalenka, a handshake with the chair umpire, a smile, and a few hand claps on the strings of her racket and a wave to acknowledge the crowd. It happened quickly after Rybakina closed with an ace to cap a third-set comeback."
"Three years ago, Rybakina won the first set of the Australian final but lost it in three. This time, after breaking in the first game and taking the first set, she rallied after losing the second set and going down 3-0 in the third. She won five straight games to regain control. It gives me a kind of relief, she said, also, a lot of confidence for sure for the rest of the season."
Elena Rybakina captured her second major by defeating top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 at the Australian Open after a third-set comeback. Her restrained celebration reflected an understated tournament run, with a small fist pump, brief embrace, handshake, smile and a wave to the crowd. Rybakina closed with an ace, rallied from a 3-0 deficit in the third by winning five straight games, and sealed victory following a strong finish to 2025 that included a WTA Finals title amid earlier coaching suspension turmoil. The 26-year-old, born in Moscow and representing Kazakhstan, said the win brings relief and confidence.
Read at www.mercurynews.com
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