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Elena Rybakina vs Aryna Sabalenka - LIVE: Australian Open women’s final result as Sabalenka wins thriller
Follow live reaction from the Australian Open women’s final where Aryna Sabalenka completed a dramatic comeback to win a first grand slam title
Aryna Sabalenka fought from a set down to defeat Elena Rybakina and win the Australian Open, her first grand slam title.
In a thrilling battle over two hours and 29 minutes, the 24-year-old from Belarus won 4-6 6-3 6-4 against the Wimbledon champion Rybakina, who was denied a second grand slam title.
In winning her first grand slam final, Sabalenka extended her winning run to 11 matches to start the season, but the fifth seed was forced to come from behind after losing her first set since that run began.
However Sabalenka, who started the year in red-hot form after fixing her serve and addressing her mental approach during the off-season, turned the match around with a powerful display of shot-making from the baseline.
Sabalenka won the match on her fourth Championship point was overwhelmed by emotion as she celebrated her first grand slam title.
Follow live reaction from the Australian Open women’s final, below:
Australian Open 2023: Elena Rybakina vs Aryna Sabalenka prediction
In the clash of two big-hitting players, Sabalenka showed cleaner form and confidence from the baseline in the semi-finals. Rybakina has the edge in grand slam final experience and the huge weapon of her first will split the first two sets, but Sabalenka’s powerful game will be key in the decider.
What are the odds?
Rybakina: 6/5
Sabalenka: 8/11
Australian Open 2023: Elena Rybakina vs Aryna Sabalenka
The final will take place on Saturday 28 January and will start from 8:30am GMT.
How to watch the Australian Open 2023
You can watch the Australian Open live on Eurosport in the UK. The action will be broadcast on Eurosport’s TV channels, or fans can tune into Discovery+ to stream the tournament, where an Entertainment & Sport pass is available for either £6.99/month or £59.99/year.
Sky has also announced that starting today, Discovery+ will be available at no extra cost for Sky customers, including for Sky Glass and Sky Stream customers.
If you’re not already a Sky customer, you can get a Sky Stream box, which comes with Sky TV and a Netflix basic plan. The device is currently discounted in Sky’s winter sale (was £26 per month, now £24 per month, Sky.com). This is Sky’s new device, and doesn’t require a satellite dish as it streams Sky directly over wifi.
Good morning
Good morning and welcome to live coverage of the Australian Open women’s final as Elena Rybakina plays Aryna Sabalenka for the first grand slam title of the year. In a battle of two powerful big-hitters, Wimbledon champion Rybakina is aiming to add a second grand slam title in six months while Sabalenka, who is yet to drop a set so far this tournament, will be playing in her first major final.
The 23-year-old Rybakina defeated grand slam champions in world No 1 Iga Swiatek, Jelena Ostapenko and Victoria Azarenka to reach the Australian Open final for the first time. The Kazakh, who was born in Moscow, said she was not treated like a grand slam winner following her Wimbledon win last summer but there will be no disputing her status if she can win a second major title on the Rod Laver Arena.
Sabalenka, meanwhile, put struggles with her serve and mentality behind her to enter the season in red-hot form. The Belarusian, who is the first grand-slam finalist to compete under a neutral flag, has won 10 matches in a row to start the year without dropping a set. The 24-year-old reached her first grand slam by defeating Magda Linette, in what was her first grand slam semi-final victory in three previous attempts.
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