Elena Rybakina secured the second Grand Slam singles title of her career by defeating Aryna Sabalenka in the final of the 2026 Australian Open. This achievement drew reactions from several players, including Billie Jean King, Ons Jabeur, and Caroline Garcia, among others.
This match was a rematch of the 2023 Australian Open final, where Sabalenka defeated Rybakina to win her first Melbourne singles title. Sabalenka then defended her title in 2024 by defeating Zheng Qinwen in the championship match. Meanwhile, Rybakina captured her first Grand Slam title at the 2022 Wimbledon Championships, where she overcame Jabeur in the final.
Billie Jean King, Ons Jabeur and Other Players React to Elena Rybakina Winning the 2026 Australian Open Title
At the 2026 Australian Open, Rybakina was seeded fifth and advanced to the final by defeating Kaja Juvan, Varvara Gracheva, Tereza Valentová, 21st seed Elise Mertens, second seed Iga Świątek, and sixth seed Jessica Pegula. In the championship match, she defeated top seed Sabalenka with a score of 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 in just two hours and 18 minutes, claiming her second Grand Slam title.
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Reacting to Rybakina’s achievement, King took to social media and congratulated her, praising the “outstanding effort” she put in to win the Daphne Akhurst Memorial Cup.
“Outstanding effort from @lenarybakina, the 2026 Australian Open Women’s Singles Champion! Congratulations!” King captioned her Instagram story.
Meanwhile, Daria Saville humorously mentioned that Rybakina’s reaction to winning another Grand Slam title was similar to her reaction when she wins a point. She congratulated both Rybakina and Sabalenka for their brilliant effort in the final, expressing her “respect” for both players.
“Elena’s reaction to winning another slam is literally the same when I win a point. Jokes aside! Congrats to the ladies!” Saville captioned her Instagram story.
“amazing rivalry! respect to both women!” she added.
Jabeur also extended her wishes to Rybakina for winning the 2026 Australian Open.
“👏 👏 Bravo ❤️,” Jabeur posted on X (formerly known as Twitter).
👏 👏 Bravo ❤️
— Ons Jabeur (@Ons_Jabeur) January 31, 2026
Garcia praised Rybakina’s “impressive level” of play, calling her victory in the Melbourne Major final “well deserved.” She also acknowledged Sabalenka’s “great performance” and remarked that the future looks “bright” for women’s tennis.
“Impressive level from Elena Rybakina! Well deserved!! Great performance also from @SabalenkaA, future is bright for both of you and women’s tennis in general 🙌🏻 Can’t wait for the rest of the season!” Garcia posted on X.
Impressive level from Elena Rybakina! Well deserved!!
Great performance also from @SabalenkaA, future is bright for both of you and women’s tennis in general 🙌🏻 Can’t wait for the rest of the season!
— Caroline Garcia (@CaroGarcia) January 31, 2026
Eva Lys shared a video from Rybakina and Sabalenka’s final match at the 2026 Australian Open, expressing her appreciation for “women’s tennis.”
“womens tennis ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️,” Lys captioned her Instagram story.
Looking ahead, both Rybakina and Sabalenka are expected to compete on the Middle East swing, starting with the 2026 Qatar Open, scheduled to take place from February 8 to February 14, 2026, at the International Tennis and Squash Complex in Doha, Qatar.
