‘Not going to happen’: Sabalenka set for AO redemption

Darren Walton | January 30, 2026

Her grand slam greatness already assured, Aryna Sabalenka is intent on righting past wrongs and climbing another rung up the ladder of the tennis pantheon of all-time legends.

Sabalenka enters Saturday night’s Australian Open title decider against big-hitting Elena Rybakina primed to win the “power battle” and make amends for last year’s shock final loss to Madison Keys.

The first woman to reach four successive finals at Melbourne Park since Martina Hingis made six in a row from 1997 to 2002, Sabalenka can also join the Swiss Miss, as well as the likes of Maria Sharapova and Australian Daphne Akhurst – after whom the AO women’s trophy is named – with a fifth career major.  

With so much at stake, it is little wonder why the 27-year-old top seed is determined to not let her latest opportunity slip, after also losing last year’s French Open final and the 2023 US Open decider, both to Coco Gauff.

“I actually know what was wrong in those finals that I played and I lost, and I would say that last year was lots of lessons, lots of things to learn about myself, and it’s definitely not going to happen again this season,” Sabalenka said.

“It’s just different mentality that I will try to have in each final that I play.

“I feel like those frustrations were coming from not agreeing with what’s going on in the moment, and right now my mentality is like I’m ready to do whatever.

“Whatever is going to be in that final, I’m ready to go out there and fight with what I have and do everything I can.

“When I have this mentality, I play my best tennis, and I’m there, I’m fighting.

“I have my opportunities, so that’s my approach to the finals this season.”

If not quite frightening, the world No.1’s ruthless “approach” should be a warning to Rybakina ahead of the pair’s rematch of the 2023 Open final that the Belarusian powerhouse won in three sets to claim her maiden grand slam crown. 

Saturday’s final shapes as an intriguing showdown, with Sabalenka shading their head-to-head record 8-6 and boasting a phenomenal 26 wins from her past 27 matches at the Open.

But the undisputed queen of Melbourne Park is taking on a fearsome foe and former Wimbledon champion who has won 19 of her past 20 matches.

Sabalenka and Rybakina, with a tournament-leading 35 aces, are also the two biggest hitters in the women’s game. 

Sabalenka suspects the title match may come down to who blinks first on the big stage.

“Well, her shots are heavy, deep, flat balls. It’s not easy to work with,” the world No.1 said.

“But yeah, we have a great history. She’s an incredible player. We had a lot of great battles, a lot of finals we played.

“I’m looking forward to battle this power.”

Sabalenka, though, insists she won’t be drawing on her victory over the Kazakh in the final three years ago.

“We both are different players,” she said.

“We went through different things. We’re much stronger mentally and physically and we’re playing better tennis now.

“So I will approach this as a completely different match and we have long history after that final.

“So I’ll approach this match as the very first one, and I will do my very best.”

Harbouring her own ambitions to shed her tag as a one-slam wonder, Rybakina has been arguably the world’s “very best” over the past two months.

After taking down world No.2 Iga Swiatek and the top-ranked Sabalenka en route to the title at the season-ending championship in Saudi Arabia, Rybakina has started 2026 in similarly hot form.

The 26-year-old has made her second AO final without dropping a set and after ousting Swiatek again, then former US Open runner-up Jessican Pegula for the loss of just 15 games.  

“Definitely very happy to be in the final again,” Rybakina said.

“I was close other years, seasons, when I played semis in the other slams, but, yeah, now I’m closer, which is great.

“It’s just one step to go.”