Aryna Sabalenka can easily make history at the Australian Open by defeating Elena Rybakina in the championship match and winning her third title at Melbourne Park.
With a win, the world No.1 would join a select group of multi time champions whose Melbourne records helped define an era, including Serena Williams, Martina Hingis and Steffi Graf.
It would also highlight Sabalenka’s dominance of the competition, as she has advanced to four consecutive finals a feat previously only accomplished by Evonne Goolagong and Hingis in the Open era.
Sabalenka has built this campaign in familiar fashion, muscling her way through the draw without dropping a set and earning another shot at the trophy on Rod Laver Arena.
The match is a rematch of their 2023 final which Sabalenka won in three sets however, the stakes are higher and both players have more experience in 2026.
But swinging freely is not the only task. Even the most aggressive baseliners can be rushed by Rybakina’s serve and flat, early ball striking and she enters the match with confidence from her recent victory over Sabalenka at the 2025 WTA Finals.
For Sabalenka, maintaining the margins that have set her apart from the field in Melbourne is the “how.”
She has maintained her composure under duress, as evidenced by a string of tiebreak victories in the tournament’s early rounds.
At crucial junctures, she has combined her strength with wiser patterns and greater variety. She does not simply win another final if she replicates that mix once more.
She is one of the few players whose Australian Open chapters read like landmarks along with Williams.
