Elena Rybakina beats Jessica Pegula to set up epic rematch with Aryna Sabalenka in Australian Open 2026 women's final

Elena Rybakina has sealed her spot in the Australian Open 2026 women's final after a hard-fought 6-3, 7-6(7) victory over Jessica Pegula in the semifinals. The Kazakh star steadied herself, firing key aces and winners to close out the match in one hour and 40 minutes. In the final, Rybakina will take on world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka in an eagerly awaited rematch of their 2023 Australian Open championship showdown.

Elena Rybakina's on-court interview

Elena Rybakina, seeded fifth, showed resilience in Melbourne, especially during a tense second-set tiebreak that brought back memories of a painful defeat here two years ago.

In her on-court interview, Rybakina opened up about the pressure. "It was really, really stressful," she said. "I had some epic tiebreak here a couple of years ago and lost it ... a little flashback came. But I am super happy that in the end it turned my way."

The reference points to her 2024 second-round loss to Anna Blinkova, which ended 6-4, 4-6, 7-6(20), featuring the longest tiebreak in Grand Slam history at 22-20.

Blockbuster rematch on the cards: Elena Rybakina vs Aryna Sabalenka

The final will see Elena Rybakina face Aryna Sabalenka in a highly anticipated rematch of the 2023 Australian Open title clash. Sabalenka, chasing a third Melbourne crown in four years, reached her fourth straight final by dominating Elina Svitolina 6-2, 6-3.

Sabalenka leads their head-to-head 8-6 overall and 5-4 on outdoor hard courts. However, Rybakina holds a 3-1 edge in finals, including a commanding 6-3, 7-6(0) win in their latest encounter at the 2025 WTA Finals title match in Riyadh.

Reflecting on their 2023 Australian Open final, where Sabalenka won 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, Rybakina said, "It was a great battle we played. Just in the end, she played a bit better. She won that match, and it was very deserved. I want to enjoy the final, and hopefully I'm gonna serve better than today, and that will help me."

Dominant runs and historic stats

Both players arrive in the final undefeated in sets this tournament, the first such pair at the Australian Open since Justine Henin and Kim Clijsters in 2004, and the first at any Grand Slam since Serena and Venus Williams at Wimbledon 2008. They join an elite list as the 23rd Open Era pair of Grand Slam finalists to reach the title match without dropping a set.

This marks the fourth instance this century of the same duo meeting in multiple Australian Open finals, following pairs like Capriati-Hingis (2001-2002) and Serena-Venus (2003, 2017). Among active players, only Sabalenka and Coco Gauff have met in multiple major finals (US Open 2023, Roland Garros 2025).