The biggest threat to Aryna Sabalenka’s dominance at the Australian Open may not be Coco Gauff
Coco Gauff of the United States and Aryna Sabalenka pose prior to their Women’s Semifinal Singles match during Day 7 of the 2024 WTA Finals Riyadh …Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images for WTA
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The biggest threat to Aryna Sabalenka’s dominance at the Australian Open may not be Coco Gauff
Peter Lynch
Peter Lynch
Mon 6 January 2025 22:00, UK
Aryna Sabalenka is undoubtedly the player to beat at the Australian Open, having won the last two editions of the Grand Slam.
Sabalenka has been tipped to win the Australian Open, with the Belarusian currently top of the WTA rankings.
And she has just furthered her status as the world’s best by beating Polina Kudermetova to win the Brisbane International.
Sabalenka came from behind to defeat the Russian qualifier to secure a fourth career WTA title in Australia.
The three-time Grand Slam champion is now seeking a hat-trick of Australian Open titles, having beaten Qinwen Zheng to lift the trophy last time out.
Aryna Sabalenka speaks during the official presentation after the Women’s Singles Final match between Qinwen Zheng of China and Aryna Sabalenka dur…
Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images
Why Elena Rybakina is the biggest threat to Aryna Sabalenka’s Australian Open dominance
Sam Stosur wants a Sabalenka versus Coco Gauff final, but there is every chance that Elena Rybakina could replace the latter.
While Sabalenka was shining in Brisbane, her WTA rival Rybakina was doing the same at the 2025 United Cup.
READ MORE: Aryna Sabalenka shares why she was standing on her racket during the Brisbane International final
The world number six helped fire Kazakhstan all the way to the semi-finals before they eventually fell to Poland.
More Tennis News
Rybakina has seemingly been inspired by her new coach Goran Ivanisevic, with the 25-year-old finding her feet at just the right time.
Alexander Shevchenko, Elena Rybakina, Dmitry Popko, Zhibek Kulambyeva and Aleksandr Nedovyesov of Team Kazakhstan celebrate after winning the Quart…
Photo by Paul Kane/Getty Images
But it is her record against Sabalenka in Australia that should give her plenty of confidence ahead of the first Grand Slam of the season.
As per Tennis, following her Brisbane semi-final win over Mirra Andreeva, the world number one moved to 26-1 for wins in Australia since the start of 2023.
She also moved to 52-3 in sets, but intriguingly all three sets lost came against Rybakina, with her only loss coming against the Kazakhstan ace.
DID YOU KNOW❓
With her win over Mirra Andreeva in the semifinals of Brisbane today, Aryna Sabalenka is now *26-1* in Australia since the start of 2023. 💪👏
She’s also 52-3 *in sets* in Australia since the start of 2023, the only 3 sets she’s lost all coming to Elena Rybakina:
— TENNIS (@Tennis) January 4, 2025
View Tweet
What is the head-to-head record between Aryna Sabalenka and Elena Rybakina?
Rybakina took two sets off Sabalenka to win their 2024 Brisbane final, having taken one off her rival in a 2023 Australian Open final defeat.
The pair have now met a total of 10 times on the WTA Tour, with the Belarusian boasting a narrow 6-4 record.
Year Event Round Winner
2019 Wuhan Quarter-final Sabalenka
2021 Abu Dhabi Quarter-final Sabalenka
2021 Wimbledon Round of 16 Sabalenka
2023 Australian Open Final Sabalenka
2023 Indian Wells Final Rybakina
2023 Beijing Quarter-final Rybakina
2023 WTA Finals Group stage Sabalenka
2024 Brisbane Final Rybakina
2024 Madrid Semi-final Sabalenka
2024 WTA Finals Group stage Rybakina
Elena Rybakina v Aryna Sabalenka head-to-head record
Rybakina is now in with a fine chance of closing that gap, having won their most recent meeting at the 2024 WTA Finals in November.
It is, of course, worth noting that the likes of Gauff and Iga Swiatek cannot be ruled out of contention for glory in Melbourne.
READ MORE: Novak Djokovic says what he’s already noticed about Elena Rybakina since Goran Ivanisevic started coaching her
Like Rybakina, they shone at the United Cup, with the American beating the Pole in the final to help secure victory for the USA.
Along with her impressive track record against Sabalenka in Australia, revenge should also be at the forefront of her mind given that 2023 Australian Open defeat.
Related Topics
Aryna Sabalenka
Australian Open
Coco Gauff
Elena Rybakina
WTA
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