Ernest Osogbue
Kazakh tennis sensation Elena Rybakina, showcased her ball striking skills and all round game, to defeat world number one tennis player, Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus, in three sets to win the first major title of the year, the Australian Open.
Following up on her victory at the season ending WTA tour finals in November last year, Rybakina took no prisoners as she smashed through the women’s draw at the Australian Open, including 6 time major champion, Iga Swiatek of Poland, billionaire tennis player, Jessica Pegula of the US, and veteran Varvara Gracheva, to lay hands on her second major title, following her victory at Wimbledon in 2022.
Both players canceled each other out in the first two sets, with Rybakina winning the first, and Sabalenka the second, after claiming the last two games of the 2nd set. Sabalenka took that momentum into the decider, by claiming the first three games of the 3rd set to move into a 3-love lead. Rybakina bounced back to win the next three games to make it 3-3. She then broke Sabalenka to take the lead, and then served out the set to win 6/4, 4/6, 6/4 at a rapturous Rod Laver Arena.
Earlier, the pair of Christian Harrison of the US, and Neal Skupski of Britain, defeated the Australian pair of Jason Kubler and Marc Polmans in two straight sets of 7/6 (7-4), 6/4, to win the men’s doubles title. While the pair of Elise Mertens of Belgium, and Zhang Shuai of China, despatched the pair of Ana Danilina of Kazakhstan, and Aleksandra Krunic of Serbia 7/6 (7-4), 6/4 to claim the lady’s doubles title.
The big one comes up tomorrow, when world number one tennis player, Carlos Alcaraz of Spain, who is aiming to become the youngest male player to win all four major titles, takes on Novak Djokovic of Serbia, who’s aiming to claim his 25th grand slam title, and as well, become the oldest man to win a major title in the open era.
