In a display of clinical power and high-stakes composure, Elena Rybakina booked her place in the 2026 Australian Open final on Thursday. The Kazakh fifth seed overcame a spirited late charge from American Jessica Pegula, winning 6-3, 7-6(9/7) in a grueling 1-hour-and-40-minute encounter on Rod Laver Arena.
Rybakina, 26, enters the final with a terrifying statistic: she is yet to drop a set in the entire tournament. Her path to the final has been a demolition derby of top-tier talent, including a quarter-final victory over world No. 2 Iga Swiatek.
Rybakina began with a statement, holding to love and racing to a 3-0 lead. Her serve was a certified weapon, with one "missile" clocked at a staggering 191 km/h.
Jessica Pegula, playing in her first Australian Open semi-final at age 31, refused to go quietly. After saving three match points at 3-5 in the second set, the American broke Rybakina twice to force a tiebreak.
During the tense 9-7 tiebreak, Rybakina admitted to having "flashbacks" of her historic 22-20 tiebreak loss to Anna Blinkova in 2024. This time, however, she stayed "cool as a cucumber," sealing the win with a clinical backhand winner.
The final will be the 15th meeting between Rybakina and Sabalenka. While Sabalenka leads their overall head-to-head 8-6, Rybakina holds a 3-1 lead in finals, including their most recent clash at the 2025 WTA Finals in Riyadh.
It was such a battle. I’m really proud that no matter the situation... I still stayed there. I was fighting for each point. I want to enjoy the final and hopefully I’m going to serve better than today
Elena Rybakina
