Elena Rybakina

Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina is into her second major final after defeating Victoria Azarenka in the Australian Open semifinals.

A sixth double fault from Azarenka gave Rybakina triple-break point and the Wimbledon champion converted after Azarenka's final shot landed in the net. In the end, I just was playing point by point no matter score. A clean return winner at 5-2, 30-40 gave the 33-year-old one break back, but Rybakina closed out the match on her return. Rybakina kept the sustained pressure on Azarenka's serve, breaking on five of 11 break points. "Not a great feeling right now to digest. Having lost just one set in the tournament, Rybakina proved a formidable frontrunner. But Rybakina broke straight back and settled herself on serve to take a 4-3 lead. As Azarenka's serve began to falter, Rybakina grabbed a second break to lead 5-2. Playing in her first Australian Open semifinal, Rybakina faced a major champion for the third straight match. This time it was Rybakina's turn to withstand the pressure on her serve. MELBOURNE, Australia -- Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina advanced to her second major final, defeating former No.1 Victoria Azarenka 7-6(4), 6-3 on Thursday in the Australian Open semifinals. Azarenka finished with 17 winners and 13 unforced errors.

MELBOURNE, Australia — It will be strength against strength and power against power in the Australian Open women's singles final on Saturday.

She has beaten three straight Grand Slam singles champions to reach this final: Iga Swiatek, Jelena Ostapenko and Azarenka, a 33-year-old Belarusian who won the Australian Open in 2012 and 2013. Sabalenka is seeded fifth and Rybakina 22nd, but that does not tell the whole tale. And yet her inconsistency and combustibility have, until now, kept her from reaching the top. But after losing her first three Grand Slam singles semifinals, she is now into her first final. “It was great tennis from me in the tiebreak.” The outcomes were strong. Both have lifted their games to new levels since then. The year’s first Grand Slam event runs from Jan. Rybakina, 23, is a quiet intimidator: her big serves and rolling, deep groundstrokes applying constant pressure. Rybakina is self-contained and difficult to read, maintaining an even keel throughout her matches. In this Australian Open, 16 to Jan.

In two similar semi-finals, Wimbledon champion Rybakina saw off Victoria Azarenka 7-6 (4) 6-3 before Sabalenka reached her first grand slam singles final with a ...

She felt the benefit of having been in a semi-final before, saying: “I think because I knew what to expect. I’m proud of myself how I fought and I tried, but tennis-wise I felt like it just wasn’t there, especially in the important moments.” “There is still one more match to go,” said the Belarusian, who is yet to drop a set in 10 matches in 2023. “It’s good that I kind of break through in the semi-finals, but there is one more match to go. I’m super happy to be in the final and ready to give everything I have left in one day.” “I’m happy, at the same time tired,” said Rybakina.

The Wimbledon champion claimed a 7-6 (4) 6-3 victory on Rod Laver Arena.

The pattern continued in the second set, with Rybakina punishing Azarenka when she missed her first serve and using her big game to keep her nose in front. For sure I’ll try my best, I’ll fight, and hopefully I’m going to win.” “I’m super happy and proud, with my team also,” said Rybakina.

Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina reached her second final in the past three Grand Slam tournaments and will face No. 5 Aryna Sabalenka for the Australian ...

That could have played a role in the way the first set was as much of a seesaw as can be, with each player seeming to gain the upper hand and ceding it just as quickly. "I want to say a big 'thank you' from the players, because it's unbelievable what you've done for us, for the new generation," Rybakina said. It was breezy and chilly at Rod Laver Arena from the start of Rybakina vs. Azarenka, the champion at Melbourne Park in 2012 and 2013, joined a list of players eliminated by Rybakina over the past two weeks that includes No. The performance was particularly noteworthy against a returner and defender as established on hard courts as Azarenka, a former No. "Kind of hard to digest," Azarenka said. It wasn't the case that each and every shot Sabalenka hit landed right on a line, but it must have seemed that way to Linette. "For sure, they're very experienced players," said Rybakina, whose parents and sister have been in town throughout the Australian Open. [Iga Swiatek](https://www.espn.com/sports/tennis/players/profile?playerId=3730) and No. "Everything was new at Wimbledon," Rybakina said after hitting nine aces in the semifinals to raise her tournament-leading total to 44. The key to both semifinals, really, was a first-set tiebreaker. Sabalenka is far less cautious, though, and her penchant for high-risk, high-reward play was evident against Linette, who had never before been past the third round in 29 appearances at majors.

Il s'agit d'une première finale dans un tournoi du grand chelem pour Sabalenka.

À 5-3 à sa mise en jeu, Rybakina a eu une balle de manche, mais la Bélarusse s'est dressée avant de revenir à 5-5. Azarenka a effectué un dernier vol, avant de s'incliner quelques minutes plus tard à sa propre mise en jeu. Au deuxième engagement, elle a ensuite enregistré un double bris pour prendre les commandes 5-2 et servir pour le match. Elle n'a cependant pu empêcher sa rivale de forcer la tenue d'un bris d'égalité. Elle a réussi neuf as contre trois doubles fautes, mais a réussi 58 % de ses premières balles. Elle a empoché cinq jeux consécutifs pour mener 5-1.

The women's 2023 Australian Open final is set: Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus will take on Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan after the two each won their semifinal ...

Elena Rybakina s'est qualifiée pour la finale de l'Open d'Australie 2023 après avoir battu Victoria Azarenka 7-6(4), 6-3 en demi-finale aujourd'hui.

Rybakina a eu 30 coups gagnants et 21 fautes directes pour le match, tandis qu'Azarenka a eu 26 coups gagnants et 27 fautes directes. La double lauréate de l'Open d'Australie a sauvé une balle de break en remportant son premier jeu de service, puis deux autres dans le cinquième jeu, mais le match semblait lui échapper. Contrairement à la première manche, le jeu de Rybakina s'est mis en marche dans le deuxième set. En fin de compte, deux fautes directes d'Azarenka ont scellé le set et permis à son adversaire de prendre la tête du match. Dans le cinquième jeu, Azarenka a réussi à prendre le contrôle du match en menant d'un break, mais son propre service l'a abandonnée et elle a immédiatement rendu le break. Les deux joueuses ont conservé leur service pendant le reste du set, ce qui a conduit à la mise en place d'un tie-break.

Australian viewers joined Microsoft mogul Bill Gates in watching Elena Rybakina triumph over Victoria Azarenka at the Australian Open yesterday.

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Rybakina, a 23-year-old who represents Kazakhstan, reached her second final in a span of three major tournaments by beating Victoria Azarenka 7-6 (4), 6-3 at ...

Sure, Rybakina again faltered for a bit while trying to serve out the victory at 5-2. A mistake-filled tiebreaker ended with Azarenka pushing a forehand wide to cap an 11-shot exchange, and the set belonged to Rybakina. It was breezy and chilly at Rod Laver Arena from the start of Rybakina vs. Rybakina encountered similar issues and her occasional inconsistency was encapsulated by the very first game. Rybakina might be seeded just 22nd in Melbourne, and ranked just 25th, but those numbers are rather misleading and not indicative at all of her talent and form. 1 and a three-time runner-up at the U.S. “Kind of hard to digest,” Azarenka said. It wasn't the case that each and every shot Sabalenka hit landed right on a line, but it must have seemed that way to Linette. Azarenka lost the mark on her strokes, for the most part, making things smoother for Rybakina, while Sabalenka raced to a 6-0 lead in hers. “For sure, they’re very experienced players,” said Rybakina, whose parents and sister have been in town throughout the Australian Open. “In the tiebreaker, I really found my rhythm,” Sabalenka said. Sabalenka is far less cautious, though, and her penchant for high-risk, high-reward play was evident against Linette, who had never before been past the third round in 29 appearances at majors.

Elena Rybakina managed the decisive moments and defeated Victoria Azarenka 7-6(4), 6-3 to reach the Australian Open final for the first time.

The consequence of that shift is evident in a run to the final that has been even more impressive than her first. Against Azarenka, the 2012 and 2013 champion, in slower, cold night conditions, she could not summon the level of her previous rounds. She received no respect with court assignments and her low seeding, still outside the top 20 due to the lack of points on offer at Wimbledon, meant she received far more difficult draws than a reigning grand slam champion would otherwise get. She broke serve quickly in the second set after a flurry of Azarenka mistakes and her own serve returned in full. As Rybakina’s greater weight of shot, with the power she generates so easily, met Azarenka’s incessant depth and industriousness, Rybakina moved ahead. Even as both players looked to take the initiative and dominate the baseline, this match was always going to be told in its contrasts.

Elena Rybakina advanced to the Australian Open finals with a win over Victoria Azarenka. She will face Aryna Sabalenka, who beat Magda Linette in the ...

Sure, Rybakina again faltered for a bit while trying to serve out the victory at 5-2. A mistake-filled tiebreaker ended with Azarenka pushing a forehand wide to cap an 11-shot exchange, and the set belonged to Rybakina. 1 and a three-time runner-up at the U.S. Rybakina encountered similar issues and her occasional inconsistency was encapsulated by the very first game. Rybakina might be seeded just 22nd in Melbourne, and ranked just 25th, but those numbers are rather misleading and not indicative at all of her talent and form. She delivered serves at up to 117 mph and stinging groundstrokes that she used to close points seemingly at will on Thursday. “Kind of hard to digest,” Azarenka said. It wasn’t the case that each and every shot Sabalenka hit landed right on a line, but it must have seemed that way to Linette. Azarenka lost the mark on her strokes, for the most part, making things smoother for Rybakina, while Sabalenka raced to a 6-0 lead in hers. “For sure, they’re very experienced players,” said Rybakina, whose parents and sister have been in town throughout the Australian Open. “In the tiebreaker, I really found my rhythm,” Sabalenka said. Sabalenka is far less cautious, though, and her penchant for high-risk, high-reward play was evident against Linette, who had never been past the third round in 29 appearances at majors.

Après avoir remporté Wimbledon, Rybakina est à deux victoires de remporter l'Open d'Australie.

Je pense qu'elle a de grandes chances de remporter un autre titre". Elle a expliqué : "Il y a quelques mois à peine, nous l'avons vue gagner à Wimbledon et c'est exactement comme ça qu'elle joue ici, elle est si calme et posée. Schett a dit comment la joueuse de tennis kazakhe en veut encore plus après sa surprenante victoire à Wimbledon 2022.

Aryna Sabalenka figures she'll feel some jitters when she steps out on court to face Elena Rybakina in the Australian Open women's final.

But Sabalenka reworked the mechanics on her serve during a five-day session less than a month before the U.S. “As a matchup, I mean, it’s going to be a lot of mistakes, a lot of winners, I’m sure about that, from both sides, because there is going to be a lot of pressure," said Stefano Vukov, Rybakina’s coach. It’s a style that evokes the way the Williams sisters went about winning when they began to transform the sport — and rather different from the way the current No. It's a significant development for someone who struggled mightily with double-faulting last year, accumulating nearly 400 over the course of the season, including more than 20 in some matches. 1, Iga Swiatek, and her predecessor, the retired Ash Barty, went about things. It’s a big tournament, big final,” Sabalenka said.

Two of the biggest hitters in women's tennis go toe-to-toe when Aryna Sabalenka and Elena Rybakina clash in Saturday's Australian Open final in Melbourne.

“I was trying to do less screaming after some bad points or some errors,” Sabalenka said. But she is more than just a big serve and has enough all-court game to ward off most danger — her wide reach and ability to hit winners off both wings enabling her to get out of trouble. “I just have to take this responsibility and I just have to deal with that.” Sabalenka is now so confident of handling her emotions — demonstrated as she smoothly fought back from 2-0 down in the first set against Linette — that she has dispensed with her sports psychologist. Belarusian fifth seed Sabalenka is in the form of her life and on the brink of a maiden Grand Slam crown. Sabalenka is more brutal, her muscles generating spin and driving the ball through the court.

Born in Moscow, Rybakina switched nationality to Kazakhstan in 2018 in return for financial and coaching assistance after she was frustrated by a lack of ...

“She’s a wonderful girl. She listens, listens a lot. Super simple girl.” So super easy to deal with. just receiving all the messages and everything. “I get a lot of support around the world, but mostly I think that it’s from Kazakhstan, for sure,” Rybakina told reporters this week.

The Wimbledon champion will be eyeing her second grand slam title when she takes on Aryna Sabalenka in Saturday night's Australian Open final, after beating ...

Elena Rybakina and Aryna Sabalenka - the two biggest servers in the game - will square off in the Australian Open final on Sunday night at Rod Laver Arena.

- Channel 9 TV channel 3:30am ET Saturday, January 28 Can she maintain her composure? Australia (Sportsbet) UK (Skybet) USA (BetMGM) Or can Rybakina add the Australian Open to her Wimbledon 2022 crown?

That run includes victories over three-time Slam winner and Iga Swiatek, 2012-13 Australian Open champion Victoria Azarenka and 2017 French Open champ Jelena ...

But Sabalenka reworked the mechanics on her serve during a five-day session less than a month before the U.S. Then she found the serve. “As a matchup, I mean, it’s going to be a lot of mistakes, a lot of winners, I’m sure about that, from both sides, because there is going to be a lot of pressure," said Stefano Vukov, Rybakina’s coach. It’s a style that evokes the way the Williams sisters went about winning when they began to transform the sport — and rather different from the way the current No. It's a significant development for someone who struggled mightily with double-faulting last year, accumulating nearly 400 over the course of the season, including more than 20 in some matches. Since then, Sabalenka's coach, Anton Dubrov observed, “Aryna lost (her) serve. Something else Sabalenka has improved that has made her a better player: the way she manages her mindset during a match. 1, Iga Swiatek, and her predecessor, the retired Ash Barty, went about things. It’s a big tournament, big final,” Sabalenka said. 5; Rybakina is No. She is seeded No. Saturday’s contest is, after all, Sabalenka’s first singles title match at a Grand Slam tournament.

Wimbledon champion Rybakina began her Australian Open campaign on the outer courts at Melbourne Park but the 22nd seed is now just one step away from ...

"I think we had a really, really good pre-season. "I think that's OK to feel a little bit nervous," she said. "I think experience is a big factor," he said. "It's good that I kind of breakthrough in the semi-finals, but there is one more match to go. "I realised that nobody other than me will help," she said. "There is still one more match to go," said the Belarusian.