Wimbledon winner Jelena Rybakina also grabs the title at the Australian Open.
The 23-year-old Kazakh won the semi-finals in Melbourne 7: 6 (7: 4), 6: 3 against the two-time tournament winner Wiktoria Asarenka from Belarus with her powerful style of play. Rybakina meets Asarenka’s compatriot Aryna Sabalenka in the final on Saturday, who defeated Magda Linette from Poland 7:6 (7:1), 6:2.
“I’m super happy and proud,” Rybakina said. “Today the conditions were a bit difficult for me, but I managed it well. I’ll do my best in the final, fight and hopefully win.”
Rybakina, who eliminated world number one Iga Swiatek from Poland on her way to the semifinals, is Russian by birth and has been serving for Kazakhstan since 2018. Her coup at Wimbledon was the country’s first Grand Slam title. After three unsuccessful major semifinals, Sabalenka made it into the final for the first time.