Elena Rybakina has improved her game over the past few months, resulting in immense success. She lifted the 2025 WTA Finals and the 2026 Australian Open title, more importantly, defeating Aryna Sabalenka in the championship matches both times. These consecutive final meetings have sparked conversations, often calling the Sabalenka-Rybakina rivalry the biggest in women’s tennis right now.
The Kazakh champion recently spoke about this in an interview with Tennis Channel during the 2026 Miami Open.
Elena Rybakina Discusses Her Evolving Rivalry With Aryna Sabalenka
Following her runner-up finish at the Indian Wells Open, Rybakina dethroned the Polish icon Iga Świątek, sending her to the No. 3 position to claim the world No. 2 spot. This marks the best career ranking for the Kazakh star so far, with 12 WTA titles, including the 2022 Wimbledon Championships and the 2026 Australian Open.
In her last three finals, she has faced the Belarusian consecutively, winning the first two times and losing in Tennis Paradise in a grueling three-set battle. Following some of the best matches in recent women’s history, Rybakina talked about their rivalry on Tennis Channel, explaining why it is so entertaining to watch.
“I feel we push each other each match we play to the limits, and this is how we actually improve, also and not only with Aryna, with all the top players,” she said.
Crediting the high-octane matches as the reason behind her improvement, Rybakina added, “I feel that there are tough matches which get you to actually think more of what you need to improve, what you need to do better, and, of course, with Aryna, it’s always tough battles. We’re both big hitters with big serves.”
The Kazakh star then analyzed their championship match from the Indian Wells Tennis Garden, saying, “I feel like I played really well, especially the first set in Indian Wells, and then my physical level dropped a little bit, and it was a pity to lose in the third set. We were battling for each point and it was very close.”
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Concluding her assessment, Rybakina added that she is happy with her performance and hopes to maintain it while staying healthy. “So yeah, but overall I’m happy the way I’m playing right now and yeah, as I say always say hopefully I can continue and the most important to be healthy,” she said.
This Belarusian-Kazakh rivalry has turned many heads in the tennis world, with former German pro Andrea Petkovic believing that it has superseded the original Sabalenka-Świątek rivalry, which had previously defined women’s tennis.
Rybakina’s Meteoric Rise Since Late 2025
The Kazakh star’s performance improved significantly after her coach, Stefano Vukov, returned to her side at the Cincinnati Open following the year-long WTA ban. She delivered a semifinal run at the tournament, losing to the eventual champion, Świątek, in straight sets.
After a small dip, the Kazakh star bounced back, delivering a quarterfinal run in Wuhan, losing to Sabalenka in straight sets. She then defeated Ekaterina Alexandrova in the final of the Ningbo Open, lifting the WTA 500 title. She then reached the semifinals of the Pan Pacific Open but withdrew, citing a back injury.
She stunned the world, going unbeaten at the year-end championships, beating the world No. 1 Sabalenka in the final in straight sets to lift the title. She then lifted the Australian Open title in January, defeating the Belarusian 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 despite Sabalenka having a 3-0 lead in the decider.
Rybakina reached another final, this time in Indian Wells, setting up another clash with Sabalenka, but lost 6-3, 3-6, 6-7(6) in a close three-set battle. Currently, the two-time Grand Slam champion is competing at the Miami Open and has defeated Yulia Putintseva 6-3, 6-3 in the second round and Marta Kostyuk 6-3, 6-4 in the third-round match.
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She is now set to face the Australian qualifier, Talia Gibson, who stunned Naomi Osaka and Iva Jovic in a row to reach the fourth round. According to PFSN’s exclusive interactive simulator, the Kazakh has an 89% chance of advancing to the quarterfinals, where she could face American Jessica Pegula.
It would be interesting to see whether Rybakina reaches another final, setting up another clash with Sabalenka, or whether one of them bows out against another top-ranked woman.
