Jan. 31 (UPI) -- Elena Rybakina avenged her 2023 Australian Open final loss to Aryna Sabalenka with a three-set triumph Saturday to claim her first crown in Melbourne.
The Russia native, who represents Kazakhstan, uncorked a 114-mph ace for championship point in the 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 victory at Rod Laver Arena. Rybakina, who will climb from No. 5 to No. 3 in the WTA singles rankings, totaled six aces and 28 winners, while converting 3 of 6 break point chances in the 2-hour, 18-minute thriller.
She earned a $4.15 million first-place prize for her second Grand Slam title.
"We had a lot of things going on and I'm really glad we achieved this result," Rybakina said on the ESPN broadcast. "... Hopefully we can keep on going strong this year."
Both tennis stars advanced to the final without dropping a set through their first six matches of the first Grand Slam of the season. That trend halted immediately in the matchup of heavy hitters, with Rybakina breaking the top-ranked Belarusian in the first set.
