Australian Open: How much will Aryna Sabalenka make for beating Elena Rybakina in Melbourne final?
- Seb Sternik
- 28 January 2023
Aryna Sabalenka won her first grand slam title after edging Elena Rybakina 4-6 6-3 6-4 in the 2023 Australian Open final.
Rybakina got out of the blocks first as she took the opening set in just 35 minutes.
Sabalenka, who hadn't lost a single set in the run-up to the final, responded in style and levelled the match to force a decider.
In a tightly contested third set, which lasted just under an hour, the Belarusian held her nerve and closed out the match to seal a historic victory.
As well as winning her maiden singles grand slam title, Sabalenka also bagged £1.7m in prize money.
The 24-year-old had already claimed two major honours in doubles, winning the 2019 US Open and 2021 Australian Open alongside Elise Mertens.
The Belarusian made three grand slam semi-finals as a singles player ahead of this year's Australian Open triumph, though none of them came in Melbourne.
In fact, the player's best run at the Australian tournament was a fourth-round appearance back in 2021 and 2022.
Rybakina, on the other hand, entered the final as the Wimbledon champion. Nevertheless, she had to settle for the runners-up cheque of £932,000 following her first grand slam final heartbreak.
