A forgettable women’s Australian Open had an unforgettable finale, as Elena Rybakina came from a break down in the final set to defeat world No1 Aryna Sabalenka, in a match pulsing with power and dripping with tension. Rybakina was in the ascendancy but when Sabalenka won five straight games at the turn of the second and third sets, a fifth Grand Slam title felt awfully close. Rybakina is the only player in the world with the thrusters to rush Sabalenka. She collapsed against Coco Gauff in the 2023 US Open final, and lost all composure against the same opponent in the championship match at Roland Garros last year. Meanwhile in the men’s doubles final, Liverpool’s Neal Skupski and American Christian Harrison won the title in their first Grand Slam together.
