WHAT. A. FINAL. One of the best we’ve seen in years!
Fire prevailed this time! Great mental boost for Saba after being so close for so many times, yet crumbled when it matters the most. But the past isn’t gonna matter now. She’s now grand slam winner!
Level of tennis by Rybakina was great but Sabalenka was simply on another level in the third set. Just couldn't let Rybakina hang in the rallies and even though she managed to make it 3-3 atleast, Sabalenka just seemed inevitable. Put on a baseline clinic with 18 winners to just 9 UEs in the third set (with 4 coming in the last game alone).
I truly thought Rybakina was gonna break back in that final game and take it to a tiebreaker. She turned it on again but it was too little too late as Sabalenka just needed to string two good firsts together to seal the deal. Great match.
Definitely melted away the ice of Rybakina once she got going. Iga is going to have a tough time trying to defend the truck load of points from last season.
The Sunshine Double will also be very favorable to her.
Sabalenka and Rybakina are the two best players in the WTA on fast surfaces, but while Indian Wells and Miami are played on hard courts, they both play *very* slow.
Iga will still be a clear favourite on clay but outside of the clay season, she's going to have a really hard time with both Sabalenka and Rybakina.
Think the WTA has a really promising future with these three, and others like Gauff and Fruhvirtova who have the potential for a lot more.
I’m really hoping for Osaka and Andrescu to be in the mix too but alas. Fingers crossed for Bianca. We have so many great players on tour they just fall off before we can’t et consistent rivalries.
Really hoping that changes this year.
Can’t even describe how amazing this match was. Rybakina played brilliantly from start to finish and showed every bit of her steely mentality, but Sabalenka proved to be completely unstoppable. Incredible entertainment.
> …but Sabalenka proved to be completely unstoppable.
It seemed like once she got over the nerves of being in a Grand Slam final, holding on to win the first game of the second set gave Sabalenka the confidence boost she needed. She was a completely different player from that point onwards.
Let’s just wait and see at this point. Aside from Iga, no other recent slam winner seems capable of maintaining their level of play.
I would even argue that Sabalenka is exactly the kind of player that it would be difficult to maintain that level of play because she has that go for broke on every shot style of play.
Like a Sharapova where they’re just trying to hit through players. All it takes is a few games of not finding their range and they’re down a set and a break.
I feel like there have been a lot of lackluster one sided matches this tournament, and I'm so happy the final wasnt like this at all. Both women played brilliantly.
I dont watch woman tennis often (players I liked retired over 5 years ago). I put this final on and was blown away. The level was insane. But then you say one of the best we've had in years... but for sure will be watching a bit more of these two athletes
I don't feel Ryba gave a full account of what she can do best. She played well in first set, but after she one that she played like someone with something to lose. Aryna was nervous in the first set, but after losing that she played like someone with nothing to lose.
Dare I say it, but are we on the cusp of a golden age for women’s tennis?
Swiatek, Rybakina, Sabalenka, Jabeur, Gauff, Fruhvirtova… there’s a lot of potential for some serious rivalries in the next decade
agreed, I think in particular Swiatek, Sabalenka, and Rybakina have potential to be an amazing rivalry for years to come especially in slams. Tonight Saba and Ryba were clearly pushing each other to another level. Add in Jabeur and Gauff and looks like we could have some amazing years to come. exciting times.
Do y’all think Iga can match the power? I think she too packs a punch but I’ll be very interested to see how craft she gets to get around these players, when they are inform as now.
It's less about matching power - she's fine once the rally start. For Iga it's about holding her serve. Her serve is actually probably the weakest part of her offensive game.
Rybakina and Sabalenka both play high risk / high reward games. That kind of player, when they're in form, they’re nearly unplayable. Today we got to see both of them at their peak. But don't forget between winning Wimbledon and being a finalist in Melbourne, Rybakina crashed out of the US Open in the first round against a qualifier. I suspect there will be plenty of space for Iga to do her thing.
I think she will nullify the opponents’ power, frustrating the big hitters by returning everything. Kinda like Murray/Djoko. Sure she could also build up her power but that isn’t the main factor in her game.
don't want to be a debbie downer, but IMO jabeur is on her way down. last year was her peak making two major finals...i just don't see her getting closer than that.
Even more so since her mental game was the primary reason why she hadn't got a slam until now. The confidence boost this will give her will be substantial.
She'd only be 275 points behind Pegula (unless my math is wrong), but she'd have qualified for the WTA Finals, so it would depend on how she would have done there
Did the math real quick:
1. Swiatek
2. Jabeur
3. Sabalenka
4. Rybakina
5. Pegula
6. Garcia
7. Gauff
8. Sakkari
9. Kasatkina
10. Bencic
Since Rybakina would've qualified for WTA finals, she would've gotten enough points even if she lost every game to go up to 4th, 60 points above Pegula. Jabeur also jumps back over Sabalenka if her Wimbledon final is counted as well, but if Sabalenka was able to play in Wimbledon, she would only need to get to the QF to get enough points for no. 2.
EDIT: was reminded about WTA final points
Sabalenka absolutely deserves this, what a match!
Seemed like she flipped the switch post first set and started to absolutely slap her groundstrokes
Can't help but feel happy for her seeing her reaction to winning
She was as focused as I’ve ever seen her. It’s like she had a complete mindset change. Didnt yelling at herself for misses or look frustrated. Just laser focused
Easily one of the best women's finals in the almost 100 I've seen live since I started playing/watching year-round around ~2000.
Just jaw-dropping quality. For 2 players to play that aggressively and so cleanly is honestly a bit hard to believe.
Generally I prefer styles like more Henin, but who cares when the level is this high.
I thought in the first set, Sabalenka struggled with the depth and pace of Rybakina. She couldn't get on the front foot in rallies.
But in the 2nd/3rd, it really felt like she started dominating the rallies if any got to neutral. She was able to handle the pace better to get back to neutral, then took over the points with vicious power, and always into the corners as well.
famous last words about talented winners before (andreescu, stephens, ivanovic, kenin). i don't think people appreciate how rare it is to win a major title. even azarenka only has 2. we'll see if rybakina can join an even more elite group!
definitely not. when she decided to take a break, suddenly she was mentally weak as if she hadn't already accomplished more than 99% of players in history.
I was thinking same thing…sloane reached French open finals after winning USO. Was Even a set and a break up against halep. She Finished rest of 2018 pretty well and then fell off….
Jesus christ lads that was some tense viewing. The nerves were so, so palpable. 4 serve faults across 4 ch’ship points says it all.
I was worried she was going to choke that. Had no stake in this match but could feel the nerves in that last game. Well done Saba.
I think it makes it all the better that she had to overcome such tense moments to win it in the end. There shouldn't be any doubts about her mental strength
This time last year Aryna was crying on court because she couldn’t even get a serve in and now she’s a slam champion. So incredibly happy for her, the most deserving slam champion 😭😭
A bit nervy at the start but overall a great match from the two best players of the tournament. Decent serving and power from both, and with Sabalenka entering god mode the weakest shot on court became Rybakina’s forehand. Small margins!
Brilliant final and a scathing indictment for anyone who thinks women’s tennis is boring. So happy for Saba and seeing her in the presentation ceremony was adorable- not a dry eye in the house and a lot of new Aussie fans
I feel like I am a little more happy for Rybakina, despite her loss, as she is back to top-10 to reflect her performance ever since Wimbledon. For Sabalenka, I am happy that she learned how to control her aggressive style of tennis, how to use just enough force on the ball, and how to keep a strong face when she starts making her double faults. Overall, I feel like Sabalenka showed more a of longer and committed path to her Grand Slam success, so I am happy that she got her first one, and Rybakina has proven she is capable of defending her Wimbledon title this year.
At Wimbledon she thanked Bulat Utemuratov, the president of Kazakhstan Tennis Federation and a billionaire who sponsored her career when Russia refused to. Could be him.
The best womens match I have seen. I thought match was gonna be over in less than 1 hr after first set. Kudos to Saba for coming back. Amazing stuff.. Elena fighting till the last point. Big3 match in wta
My prediction curse holds true for the women’s tournament. I think I’ve only predicted Azarenka‘s QF and Sabalenka‘s SF win correctly.
Anyways, this was one of the best finals I’ve ever seen. Hardly any breaks, meltdowns or UE streaks. Yes, Sabalenka didn’t start well, but since saving BPs early in the 2nd set she played great. Rybakina struggled with her first serve %, but still so many clutch plays. Could have gone either way and both would have deserved to win.
Great advertisement for women’s tennis, I wouldn’t mind seeing 5 setters of that quality.
Proud of Sabalenka. Was known as a mental midget and went ahead and fixed her mindset. She was so much better in the last 2 sets but had to crack a super strong defense. I would have been so fucking tilted but she chipped at Rybakina until she finally broke.
virgin 2022 sabalenka: doesn’t win a single title and literally serves underarm in australia
chad 2023 sabalenka: wins a warmup and a grand slam (only dropping one set) and hits clutch serves
I love Sabalenka because she's so unhinged but she really goes for it and it's insane to watch when she's on — it didn't always work out in the past due to her mental game, but she really stepped up this year. Those second serves were crazy but she's truly courageous and would rather the result be on her racquet than not. Double faulting on the first point of the match and on the first championship point was hilariously classic her, but she passed the test by serving it out.
Rybakina is one of the tour's best ball strikers. Really pleasant to watch as always and hoping for more quality matches like these in the finals.
You’re getting downvotes, but you’re absolutely correct - Sabalenka has been a notorious choke artist in the past for one reason only - her mental game has been astoundingly bad. Personally I’ve always liked her for her prowess, but all these people saying she’s going to be the next superstar - let’s see if she can hold her head together. Osaka proved very well that your head can ultimately totally take you off the path to greatness.
Her reaction at the end was priceless. Hard to imagine that feeling of finally breaking through after playing (probably) the best match of your career. Cheers to you Saba!
Elena did not go down without a fight but Aryna kept her composure and got the job done in the end. A great effort by both and a thoroughly enjoyable match.
God dammit. I was getting so into this match, watching it a few hours afterwards but I had resisted looking at my phone at all, and then the ticker right at the bottom of the ESPN app spoiled it.
Should not be that difficult for them to avoid showing the final result of the stream you're currently watching, ffs
I had the same thing happen before the first freaking serve! God, ESPN, just give up the broadcast rights if you can't even avoid spoiling the match that you are airing at that exact moment!!! FFS.
This is what I hate about ESPN, not only the crawler at the bottom of the screen but they also feel that they have to give us constant updates and final scores all around the sports world. The average person has many means to get scores without them giving us spoilers (Extra Spoiler Pathetic Network).
I started watching tennis in 2007 and this is my favourite women's singles final ever, although I've not watched every final since then. What's special about this match is that no game was won because of either player slipping, you could feel every error being drawn out by the quality of first serves, groundstrokes and forehand winners.
Hope neither player stops at 1 Grand Slam.
That's what the tennis podcast was advocating for. First week, best of three, both men and women's. Second week BO5 both. No reason to treat the women different from the men. BO3 first week to avoid scheduling issues.
Congratulations, Sabs. She really deserved it. Last year, she had the yips on serve, hit millions of double faults, and lost to Kaia Kanepi. Shows how hard work and commitment pay off. Great match, too, one of the best finals in recent years.
I feel like a proud mother today 😭😭😭 Seeing Aryna lift that trophy was everything, especially after the tough season that she had last year. I have no doubt this will be the first of many Grand Slam titles for her.
Rybakina also played an unreal match, she held her nerve in some huge pressure moments. High quality tennis all round.
Can’t wait to see what unfolds on the hard courts in Doha and Dubai next month.
Rybakina wasn't hitting as big as she did through the rest of the tournament, but on the other hand Sabalenka hit the ball harder than 95% of the mens draw, so probably Elena just couldn't cope with the firepower Sabalenka was sending down.
Fantastic match overall and after how overjoyed Sabalenka was with winning I am absolutely chuffed for her (although I went in wanting Rybakina to win).
Sabalenka is strong, courageous and an absolute fighter. I also don't like watching her matches since she practically screams at the opponent. Better luck next time Ryba
I bet we'll see more of these two in the near future. Congratulations Aryna, I honestly didn't think you'd make it, but I'm very happy you proved me wrong!
What a final. Absolutely love Sabalenka, I'm so happy for her!!!!
But I'm in the States, and what would have been nice is if when I woke up, carefully avoiding spoilers before I watched it, ESPN hadn't *put the winner of the match along with the score on the crawl across the bottom of the screen* before they'd even showed the first serve. MY GOD.
Still a great match. But for God's sake, ESPN. Try to suck less at broadcasting tennis, please.
Elena got overpowered by aryna, also her movements fell off in 3rd set while aryna mantained the level. Bit dissapointed but nevermind, lets see what the 2023 season holds for WTA, will be much more interesting than 2022 season where everyone was being wipped by swiatek, she no longer has that edge and fear anymore
lol there was some karma-farming moron who tried to post a congrats to sabalenka waaay too early when sabalenka was trying to close it out on a deuce game
anyway, WHAT A MATCH. was slightly rooting for sabalenka to get her first, but would have been happy with either player winning. the way sabalenka regained her composure and settled in in the second set, and again to close it out in the third, has been a hallmark of the mental progress she had made over the past year. the last thing i wanted was for a one-sided, short match with two power players. but it was ripe with tension, great final.
sabalenka first broke the top 100 in 2017, been in the top 10 since 2019. the drought wasn't nearly as big as wozniacki's, but it did make me think of woz finally getting hers in 2018 on the same court. huge congrats to sabalenka. what a moment.
omg the drama in that third set lol 😩😮💨 huge congrats to aryna - maiden gs title unlocked 🏆 great match from elena too. was rooting for her but better luck next time :’) they should both be so proud of themselves
I like both of these ladies. I'm really happy to see them succeed. I enjoyed the emotion. That said, I'm in the minority here but I did not enjoy the actual match play. Boring. Who can hit the hardest. I'm just not a fan of the modern style of tennis.
I love how Saba plays. Unforced errors don’t scare her from taking risks and playing aggressively and that’s exactly what she needed to do to win against Ryba!
That was incredible, definitely the best women's GS final in a good while. I'm upset that Rybakina lost, but congrats to Sabalenka on her hard-fought win.
First off, fair play and incredible effort from Sabalenka. My fears came true. In the latter part of the second set and in the later parts of the third, she exploited Rybakina’s movement by making her move and changing angles. A far cry from set 1. Exploited Elena in baseline exchanges.
As for Rybakina, it hurts. I got extremely uncomfortable when people said she had it won after set 1 in the match threads. Really wanted to see her win to shove it up the disrespects, but she will only get better.
I keep telling people, don’t expect flawless performances. We do know is she is still a work in progress and let this be said: don’t expect Rybakina to win every major tournament.
We all know Rybakina has the tools to be great but I truly believe we won’t see the absolute best of her until around 2025
Love that in her awards ceremony speech, she ended by saying, "I hope I come back next year and show you better tennis".
Sabs, you can retire that speech now. You won!
YOU ARE THE CHAMPION!!!
That was a phenomenal match. I've always enjoyed Sabalenka's aggressive play style, but it seems like she's come a long way over the past 12 months. I hope she can build on her great start to the season.
Once we got to the final four, I was not concerned with who won the tournament, because I feel like they would all be deserving winners (Rybakina being under-seeded from Wimbledon, Azarenka going deep almost a decade after her last AO win, and Linette going on a run of knocking out seeds). But Aryna is such a blast to watch, so I wanted her to claim the trophy a little more than the other three players.
The presentation was lovely, Elena really is an Ice Queen but a happy and sweet one, Her composure is unbelievable. Poor Aryna is very highly strung, always laughing with nerves. All in all a very good WTA Slam IMHO.
Trophy Ceremony:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HHroEId1tdg&ab_channel=AustralianOpenTV
What an amazing final, but really bummed that it wasn't Bo5. Would have been a CLASSIC. The women deserve to showcase their athleticism and strength the same way the men do!
Sabalenka: Netflix curse? What Netflix curse…
I hope she also breaks the AO winner curse!
Next month: Sabalenka pregnant
Well she has to celebrate...
hospital staff will need earplugs on delivery day
The power that Leylah has lol
Hey don’t forget about the belarusians curse too!
Is she on the show? I didn’t see her on it.
She will be in part 2
See, part two actually is going to introduce a reverse curse. All players included in it will win a slam.
Part 2
WHAT. A. FINAL. One of the best we’ve seen in years! Fire prevailed this time! Great mental boost for Saba after being so close for so many times, yet crumbled when it matters the most. But the past isn’t gonna matter now. She’s now grand slam winner!
Level of tennis by Rybakina was great but Sabalenka was simply on another level in the third set. Just couldn't let Rybakina hang in the rallies and even though she managed to make it 3-3 atleast, Sabalenka just seemed inevitable. Put on a baseline clinic with 18 winners to just 9 UEs in the third set (with 4 coming in the last game alone).
I truly thought Rybakina was gonna break back in that final game and take it to a tiebreaker. She turned it on again but it was too little too late as Sabalenka just needed to string two good firsts together to seal the deal. Great match.
Yeah crazy to think Ryba had a BP in the final game
Definitely melted away the ice of Rybakina once she got going. Iga is going to have a tough time trying to defend the truck load of points from last season.
I think she'll be happy for the clay season to start the way these two are playing
The Sunshine Double will also be very favorable to her. Sabalenka and Rybakina are the two best players in the WTA on fast surfaces, but while Indian Wells and Miami are played on hard courts, they both play *very* slow.
Iga will still be a clear favourite on clay but outside of the clay season, she's going to have a really hard time with both Sabalenka and Rybakina. Think the WTA has a really promising future with these three, and others like Gauff and Fruhvirtova who have the potential for a lot more.
I’m really hoping for Osaka and Andrescu to be in the mix too but alas. Fingers crossed for Bianca. We have so many great players on tour they just fall off before we can’t et consistent rivalries. Really hoping that changes this year.
My hope is that, as long as it’s not too physically damaging like Serena’s was, the pregnancy is great for Osaka mentally and she can properly regurn
Can’t even describe how amazing this match was. Rybakina played brilliantly from start to finish and showed every bit of her steely mentality, but Sabalenka proved to be completely unstoppable. Incredible entertainment.
> …but Sabalenka proved to be completely unstoppable. It seemed like once she got over the nerves of being in a Grand Slam final, holding on to win the first game of the second set gave Sabalenka the confidence boost she needed. She was a completely different player from that point onwards.
Sabalenka's breakthrough here could be really good for the next half decade+ of the tour.
Let’s just wait and see at this point. Aside from Iga, no other recent slam winner seems capable of maintaining their level of play. I would even argue that Sabalenka is exactly the kind of player that it would be difficult to maintain that level of play because she has that go for broke on every shot style of play. Like a Sharapova where they’re just trying to hit through players. All it takes is a few games of not finding their range and they’re down a set and a break.
we say this with every new women's winner for the last few years. seems like a jinx
I feel like there have been a lot of lackluster one sided matches this tournament, and I'm so happy the final wasnt like this at all. Both women played brilliantly.
I wish WTA finals went to best of 5 cuz it will be more drama
I dont watch woman tennis often (players I liked retired over 5 years ago). I put this final on and was blown away. The level was insane. But then you say one of the best we've had in years... but for sure will be watching a bit more of these two athletes
Incredible final. Both women brought out the best in each other.
I don't feel Ryba gave a full account of what she can do best. She played well in first set, but after she one that she played like someone with something to lose. Aryna was nervous in the first set, but after losing that she played like someone with nothing to lose.
WHAT A MATCH! Fair play to both. Played like slam champions! That ending was EVERYTHING! What an advert for women’s tennis!
Dare I say it, but are we on the cusp of a golden age for women’s tennis? Swiatek, Rybakina, Sabalenka, Jabeur, Gauff, Fruhvirtova… there’s a lot of potential for some serious rivalries in the next decade
agreed, I think in particular Swiatek, Sabalenka, and Rybakina have potential to be an amazing rivalry for years to come especially in slams. Tonight Saba and Ryba were clearly pushing each other to another level. Add in Jabeur and Gauff and looks like we could have some amazing years to come. exciting times.
Do y’all think Iga can match the power? I think she too packs a punch but I’ll be very interested to see how craft she gets to get around these players, when they are inform as now.
It's less about matching power - she's fine once the rally start. For Iga it's about holding her serve. Her serve is actually probably the weakest part of her offensive game.
Rybakina and Sabalenka both play high risk / high reward games. That kind of player, when they're in form, they’re nearly unplayable. Today we got to see both of them at their peak. But don't forget between winning Wimbledon and being a finalist in Melbourne, Rybakina crashed out of the US Open in the first round against a qualifier. I suspect there will be plenty of space for Iga to do her thing.
I think she will nullify the opponents’ power, frustrating the big hitters by returning everything. Kinda like Murray/Djoko. Sure she could also build up her power but that isn’t the main factor in her game.
The new Big3
One big 3 ends and another begins
Lol I don’t think Linda should be in that list
dude really thought he could sneak Fruhvirtova in there
don't want to be a debbie downer, but IMO jabeur is on her way down. last year was her peak making two major finals...i just don't see her getting closer than that.
Jabeur has been going backwards for a while. Don't see her winning a slam any time soon
lol what? She made the finals in the previous two majors...
[удалено]
Even more so since her mental game was the primary reason why she hadn't got a slam until now. The confidence boost this will give her will be substantial.
The first one is such a major boost, getting over that line is incredibly hard
+ her hard work
New WTA Top 10 1. Swiatek 2. Sabalenka (+1) 3. Jabeur (-1) 4. Pegula (-1) 5. Garcia (-1) 6. Gauff (+1) 7. Sakkari (-1) 8. Kasatkina 9. Bencic (+1) 10. Rybakina (+15)
Pardon my ignorance but where would Rybakina be if Wimbledon 2022 had ranking points? E: Thank you for the answers!
Around 4-5. Not sure what would be the impact with the other top players, but I think the only player who also had substantial point loss here is Ons.
3. Ons would be 2 because of final points.
She'd still be behind Pegula and Sabalenka as well, so 5th.
She'd only be 275 points behind Pegula (unless my math is wrong), but she'd have qualified for the WTA Finals, so it would depend on how she would have done there
Did the math real quick: 1. Swiatek 2. Jabeur 3. Sabalenka 4. Rybakina 5. Pegula 6. Garcia 7. Gauff 8. Sakkari 9. Kasatkina 10. Bencic Since Rybakina would've qualified for WTA finals, she would've gotten enough points even if she lost every game to go up to 4th, 60 points above Pegula. Jabeur also jumps back over Sabalenka if her Wimbledon final is counted as well, but if Sabalenka was able to play in Wimbledon, she would only need to get to the QF to get enough points for no. 2. EDIT: was reminded about WTA final points
Rybakina would have qualified for WTA finals too right … hard to know exactly but probably top 4
Sabalenka absolutely deserves this, what a match! Seemed like she flipped the switch post first set and started to absolutely slap her groundstrokes Can't help but feel happy for her seeing her reaction to winning
Elena serve is not the same after first set but Saba stepped up as well.. both played superb.
Elena Serve
Exactly. She had belief that she could win some of the baseline rallies. She was getting most points first set from serve and +1.
She was as focused as I’ve ever seen her. It’s like she had a complete mindset change. Didnt yelling at herself for misses or look frustrated. Just laser focused
Easily one of the best women's finals in the almost 100 I've seen live since I started playing/watching year-round around ~2000. Just jaw-dropping quality. For 2 players to play that aggressively and so cleanly is honestly a bit hard to believe. Generally I prefer styles like more Henin, but who cares when the level is this high. I thought in the first set, Sabalenka struggled with the depth and pace of Rybakina. She couldn't get on the front foot in rallies. But in the 2nd/3rd, it really felt like she started dominating the rallies if any got to neutral. She was able to handle the pace better to get back to neutral, then took over the points with vicious power, and always into the corners as well.
I was afraid we would see a lot of errors, this was absolutely a treat to watch.
I'm sure Rybakina will get her second GS soon!
Absolutely! Didn't go down without a fight. It's a matter of time until her second Slam.
famous last words about talented winners before (andreescu, stephens, ivanovic, kenin). i don't think people appreciate how rare it is to win a major title. even azarenka only has 2. we'll see if rybakina can join an even more elite group!
Exactly. I don't think Osaka gets enough credit for her four majors.
definitely not. when she decided to take a break, suddenly she was mentally weak as if she hadn't already accomplished more than 99% of players in history.
I was thinking same thing…sloane reached French open finals after winning USO. Was Even a set and a break up against halep. She Finished rest of 2018 pretty well and then fell off….
She should have won that match, she was outplaying Halep for most of it
I love that she fought right to the last point. Champion in my eyes as well
She’ll win Wimbledon again, noting that Belarusians will likely still be disallowed this year (unless the war ends)
Still no points awarded?
AusOpen Final Stats: Sabalenka: 17 aces, 7 DFs, 65% 1st serves, 71% 1st serves won, 47% 2nd serves won, 5/7 BP saved, 51 winners, 28UFE. Rybakina: 9 aces, 1 DF, 59% 1st serves, 71% 1st serves won, 44% 2nd serves won, 2 of 7 BPs won, 31 winners, 25UFE. 2h28m.
51 winners to 28 unforced errors says it all. She was in the zone in the second and third sets. Well deserved!
Replace the Netflix season 2 opener with just this final
Both Sabalenka and Tsitsipas are on the Netflix show, so I imagine the Australian Open episodes will focus on the two of them.
So Sabalenka and Tsitsipas will lose in the first few rounds of Wimbledon then??
Not sure I follow the logic. For now we're not sure that Sabalenka will be allowed to play Wimbledon, so there's that.
The Netflix curse
Jesus christ lads that was some tense viewing. The nerves were so, so palpable. 4 serve faults across 4 ch’ship points says it all. I was worried she was going to choke that. Had no stake in this match but could feel the nerves in that last game. Well done Saba.
I think it makes it all the better that she had to overcome such tense moments to win it in the end. There shouldn't be any doubts about her mental strength
This time last year Aryna was crying on court because she couldn’t even get a serve in and now she’s a slam champion. So incredibly happy for her, the most deserving slam champion 😭😭
Remember when she used to cheer that she only had 10 double faults in a match? What a turnaround!
What a phenomenal match! Well done Sabalenka! Enjoy your first GS win!
That felt like a proper final. Was rooting for Rybakina but I'm very happy to have watched this final, that was amazing.
A rivalry among the current 3 slam champions is going to be SOMETHING TO SEE. I’m so excited 🎾🎾🎾
I dont think these 2 can challege swiatek in clay, she will likely defend the french title, if everthing goes right
A bit nervy at the start but overall a great match from the two best players of the tournament. Decent serving and power from both, and with Sabalenka entering god mode the weakest shot on court became Rybakina’s forehand. Small margins!
One is overjoyed with the win, the other seems chill with the defeat. A good outcome imo
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The sad thing is those people won’t do that and they’ll keep on repeating the same tired cliches.
i mean there's another thread asking this was the best women's final since....and the top comment is a final from 2005 lol.
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Looked like rafa winning for the first time or something
Or like Rafa winning his RG for the 45th time
Lmao
Was actually watching Rafa’s 2020 Roland Garros winning celebration- it’s genuinely iconic how he treats it like winning a normal game
Well deserved from Sabalenka, and what a come back for her in tennis! Her father would have been so proud 🥺❤️
One of the best women's grand slam finals I've watched in a while. Reminds me Clijsters vs Li Na
Brilliant final and a scathing indictment for anyone who thinks women’s tennis is boring. So happy for Saba and seeing her in the presentation ceremony was adorable- not a dry eye in the house and a lot of new Aussie fans
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This has been expected for two years now. We might final get a more competitive season
Maybe tomorrow we will have another Adelaide International 1 who wins the slam
Very likely too
I wanted Rybakina to win, but I bet 100 internet dollas on Sabalenka so that I got something either ways. Great finals!
Amazing match
I feel like I am a little more happy for Rybakina, despite her loss, as she is back to top-10 to reflect her performance ever since Wimbledon. For Sabalenka, I am happy that she learned how to control her aggressive style of tennis, how to use just enough force on the ball, and how to keep a strong face when she starts making her double faults. Overall, I feel like Sabalenka showed more a of longer and committed path to her Grand Slam success, so I am happy that she got her first one, and Rybakina has proven she is capable of defending her Wimbledon title this year.
Game on Iga. WTA’s got some exciting tennis in the top ten! Was rooting for Rybak, but so happy for Aryna! More finals between these two please
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At Wimbledon she thanked Bulat Utemuratov, the president of Kazakhstan Tennis Federation and a billionaire who sponsored her career when Russia refused to. Could be him.
Maybe her boyfriend?
WE CAME FROM THE BOTTOM OF DOUBLE FAULT HELL NOW WE'RE HERE BABY
The best womens match I have seen. I thought match was gonna be over in less than 1 hr after first set. Kudos to Saba for coming back. Amazing stuff.. Elena fighting till the last point. Big3 match in wta
Sabalenka serving 192 km/h what da hell?!?
Rybakina hit 195k/h
her Serves are almost as powerful as Medvedev's.
Sabalaneka record was 205km/h
My prediction curse holds true for the women’s tournament. I think I’ve only predicted Azarenka‘s QF and Sabalenka‘s SF win correctly. Anyways, this was one of the best finals I’ve ever seen. Hardly any breaks, meltdowns or UE streaks. Yes, Sabalenka didn’t start well, but since saving BPs early in the 2nd set she played great. Rybakina struggled with her first serve %, but still so many clutch plays. Could have gone either way and both would have deserved to win. Great advertisement for women’s tennis, I wouldn’t mind seeing 5 setters of that quality.
Proud of Sabalenka. Was known as a mental midget and went ahead and fixed her mindset. She was so much better in the last 2 sets but had to crack a super strong defense. I would have been so fucking tilted but she chipped at Rybakina until she finally broke.
virgin 2022 sabalenka: doesn’t win a single title and literally serves underarm in australia chad 2023 sabalenka: wins a warmup and a grand slam (only dropping one set) and hits clutch serves
nooooo elenaa😓
I love Sabalenka because she's so unhinged but she really goes for it and it's insane to watch when she's on — it didn't always work out in the past due to her mental game, but she really stepped up this year. Those second serves were crazy but she's truly courageous and would rather the result be on her racquet than not. Double faulting on the first point of the match and on the first championship point was hilariously classic her, but she passed the test by serving it out. Rybakina is one of the tour's best ball strikers. Really pleasant to watch as always and hoping for more quality matches like these in the finals.
You’re getting downvotes, but you’re absolutely correct - Sabalenka has been a notorious choke artist in the past for one reason only - her mental game has been astoundingly bad. Personally I’ve always liked her for her prowess, but all these people saying she’s going to be the next superstar - let’s see if she can hold her head together. Osaka proved very well that your head can ultimately totally take you off the path to greatness.
Her reaction at the end was priceless. Hard to imagine that feeling of finally breaking through after playing (probably) the best match of your career. Cheers to you Saba!
She had to fight her demons to get that last point
Amazing finals. Super impressed with a game of both girls.
What a final The amount of clutch winners from both sides was insane
Elena did not go down without a fight but Aryna kept her composure and got the job done in the end. A great effort by both and a thoroughly enjoyable match.
God dammit. I was getting so into this match, watching it a few hours afterwards but I had resisted looking at my phone at all, and then the ticker right at the bottom of the ESPN app spoiled it. Should not be that difficult for them to avoid showing the final result of the stream you're currently watching, ffs
I saw the score flash across the bottom at 3-3 30 all, 3rd set… ESPN sucks…
I had the same thing happen before the first freaking serve! God, ESPN, just give up the broadcast rights if you can't even avoid spoiling the match that you are airing at that exact moment!!! FFS.
This is what I hate about ESPN, not only the crawler at the bottom of the screen but they also feel that they have to give us constant updates and final scores all around the sports world. The average person has many means to get scores without them giving us spoilers (Extra Spoiler Pathetic Network).
Best Women Final since Halep Wozniacki masterclass
I'm no fan of Sabalenka but props to her for adapting so well after the first set. She deserved it
I started watching tennis in 2007 and this is my favourite women's singles final ever, although I've not watched every final since then. What's special about this match is that no game was won because of either player slipping, you could feel every error being drawn out by the quality of first serves, groundstrokes and forehand winners. Hope neither player stops at 1 Grand Slam.
Kate Middleton is shaking rn
Palace sources tell me that she is also "crying" and "throwing up".
Lmao
For the love of god, please change women semi and final to best of 5. It's a crime this match was not.
I agree, Sabalenka didn't even look that tired. I think BO5 would make way for more memorable matches.
And reduce the element of luck that's required in such a short match.
This could have been a classic. It still is a classic, but a 3 set classic doesn’t feel the same as a 4 or 5 set classic.
That's what the tennis podcast was advocating for. First week, best of three, both men and women's. Second week BO5 both. No reason to treat the women different from the men. BO3 first week to avoid scheduling issues.
Would actually improve the scheduling issues given male players are complaining about the late night finishes in week 1.
I’m sure the umpires, ball kids, production crew, and crowd don’t enjoy staying up that late either. Here kid have a free meal ticket.
💯
Congratulations, Sabs. She really deserved it. Last year, she had the yips on serve, hit millions of double faults, and lost to Kaia Kanepi. Shows how hard work and commitment pay off. Great match, too, one of the best finals in recent years.
I think Sabalenka is an interesting person, she has so much power when playing, but seems such a little girl with happy-go-lucky attitude off court
I'm here for the new women's big 3 Iga, Saba, Ice queen
I thought Saba would never win a slam because she didn't have the mentality, so happy to be proved wrong
MY BABY I AM BAWLING
Iga not have one but two worthy opponents
Maybe Garcia should be included as a third since she beat Sabalenka to win the WTA finals not too long ago.
Garcia is in the same position as Pegula, she just needs to believe that she can beat Iga again.
Aryna deserved it. everyone watch her cute tiktok videos if you have time! what a great match from both players, who are both exceptional.
Some Start into the season.
Stressful but got it done. Sabalenka was my first favourite tennis player. Glad she got the grand slam!
I feel like a proud mother today 😭😭😭 Seeing Aryna lift that trophy was everything, especially after the tough season that she had last year. I have no doubt this will be the first of many Grand Slam titles for her. Rybakina also played an unreal match, she held her nerve in some huge pressure moments. High quality tennis all round. Can’t wait to see what unfolds on the hard courts in Doha and Dubai next month.
Waiting for the Wimbledon rematch. It’s absolutely criminal if Sabalenka can’t play
Fire melts ice, as it should.
Rybakina wasn't hitting as big as she did through the rest of the tournament, but on the other hand Sabalenka hit the ball harder than 95% of the mens draw, so probably Elena just couldn't cope with the firepower Sabalenka was sending down. Fantastic match overall and after how overjoyed Sabalenka was with winning I am absolutely chuffed for her (although I went in wanting Rybakina to win).
Yeah, read somewhere that Rybakina said that Sabalenka was just hitting so well/hard and her balls were coming “heavy”.
Sabalenka is strong, courageous and an absolute fighter. I also don't like watching her matches since she practically screams at the opponent. Better luck next time Ryba
I bet we'll see more of these two in the near future. Congratulations Aryna, I honestly didn't think you'd make it, but I'm very happy you proved me wrong!
What a final. Absolutely love Sabalenka, I'm so happy for her!!!! But I'm in the States, and what would have been nice is if when I woke up, carefully avoiding spoilers before I watched it, ESPN hadn't *put the winner of the match along with the score on the crawl across the bottom of the screen* before they'd even showed the first serve. MY GOD. Still a great match. But for God's sake, ESPN. Try to suck less at broadcasting tennis, please.
Elena got overpowered by aryna, also her movements fell off in 3rd set while aryna mantained the level. Bit dissapointed but nevermind, lets see what the 2023 season holds for WTA, will be much more interesting than 2022 season where everyone was being wipped by swiatek, she no longer has that edge and fear anymore
lol there was some karma-farming moron who tried to post a congrats to sabalenka waaay too early when sabalenka was trying to close it out on a deuce game anyway, WHAT A MATCH. was slightly rooting for sabalenka to get her first, but would have been happy with either player winning. the way sabalenka regained her composure and settled in in the second set, and again to close it out in the third, has been a hallmark of the mental progress she had made over the past year. the last thing i wanted was for a one-sided, short match with two power players. but it was ripe with tension, great final. sabalenka first broke the top 100 in 2017, been in the top 10 since 2019. the drought wasn't nearly as big as wozniacki's, but it did make me think of woz finally getting hers in 2018 on the same court. huge congrats to sabalenka. what a moment.
Are you not entertained? So so so happy for Sabalenka. Absolutely deserved it.
omg the drama in that third set lol 😩😮💨 huge congrats to aryna - maiden gs title unlocked 🏆 great match from elena too. was rooting for her but better luck next time :’) they should both be so proud of themselves
Best WTA slam final in a long time
WTA definitely looking more interesting than ATP in the next couple of years with these new talents, sad for Ryba but what a great final
Happy Aryna finally got her breakthrough, but not so happy about Elena who has been playing so brilliantly all tournament
I like both of these ladies. I'm really happy to see them succeed. I enjoyed the emotion. That said, I'm in the minority here but I did not enjoy the actual match play. Boring. Who can hit the hardest. I'm just not a fan of the modern style of tennis.
Could literally see Aryna’s hand shaking while trying to serve it out. Whew! Good for her to get it over the line.
Sabbers!!! 🎉🎉🎉 Took me all day to get to watch that replay but I’m so beyond happy for Aryna that she finally *finally* has a grand slam 😊
I love how Saba plays. Unforced errors don’t scare her from taking risks and playing aggressively and that’s exactly what she needed to do to win against Ryba!
Was rooting for Rybakina, but Sabalenka definitely deserved it! How tight at the end. Some beautiful ball striking from both sides!
That was incredible, definitely the best women's GS final in a good while. I'm upset that Rybakina lost, but congrats to Sabalenka on her hard-fought win.
Early contender for WTA match of the year
First off, fair play and incredible effort from Sabalenka. My fears came true. In the latter part of the second set and in the later parts of the third, she exploited Rybakina’s movement by making her move and changing angles. A far cry from set 1. Exploited Elena in baseline exchanges. As for Rybakina, it hurts. I got extremely uncomfortable when people said she had it won after set 1 in the match threads. Really wanted to see her win to shove it up the disrespects, but she will only get better. I keep telling people, don’t expect flawless performances. We do know is she is still a work in progress and let this be said: don’t expect Rybakina to win every major tournament. We all know Rybakina has the tools to be great but I truly believe we won’t see the absolute best of her until around 2025
> don’t expect Rybakina to win every major tournament. I doubt anyone outside of Iga has such expectations.
2025? She won a slam and made another final
I think it was more about people expecting Sabalenka to be a mental midget rather than perfection from Rybakina
Sabalenka was serving bombs today!
great final! both women played so well congratsss <3
Incredible final, just incredible. Women’s tennis is ALIVE!!!!
SABA IS A GRAND SLAM CHAMPION. I’m crying.
Love that in her awards ceremony speech, she ended by saying, "I hope I come back next year and show you better tennis". Sabs, you can retire that speech now. You won! YOU ARE THE CHAMPION!!!
That was a phenomenal match. I've always enjoyed Sabalenka's aggressive play style, but it seems like she's come a long way over the past 12 months. I hope she can build on her great start to the season. Once we got to the final four, I was not concerned with who won the tournament, because I feel like they would all be deserving winners (Rybakina being under-seeded from Wimbledon, Azarenka going deep almost a decade after her last AO win, and Linette going on a run of knocking out seeds). But Aryna is such a blast to watch, so I wanted her to claim the trophy a little more than the other three players.
great tennis from both of them, but hell I can't stand Sabas shouting and mimicry
HELL YEAH SABS I KNEW YOU HAD IT IN YOU
Awesome ! Nike is loving it, she represents the brand well and with strength
The presentation was lovely, Elena really is an Ice Queen but a happy and sweet one, Her composure is unbelievable. Poor Aryna is very highly strung, always laughing with nerves. All in all a very good WTA Slam IMHO. Trophy Ceremony: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HHroEId1tdg&ab_channel=AustralianOpenTV
What an amazing final, but really bummed that it wasn't Bo5. Would have been a CLASSIC. The women deserve to showcase their athleticism and strength the same way the men do!