Elena Rybakina wins Australian Open by beating No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka for her 2nd Grand Slam title

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Elena Rybakina finally won her second Grand Slam title with a victory over top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka at the Australian Open on Saturday, and it was something of a testament to quiet achievers.

After some tumult at the start of 2025, including the suspension of her coach, Rybakina finished off last year with a title at the WTA Finals in November. And now she has started the new year with a major championship.

Her low-key celebration was symbolic of her understated run through the tournament: a small fist pump, a quick embrace with Sabalenka, a handshake with the chair umpire, a smile, and a few hand claps on the strings of her racket and a wave to acknowledge the crowd.

It happened quickly after Rybakina closed with an ace to cap a third-set comeback and a 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 win over a regular rival who beat her in the final here in 2023.

“The heart rate was definitely beating too fast. Even maybe (my) face didn’t show, but inside it was a lot of emotions,” the 26-year-old Rybakina, who was born in Moscow but represents Kazakhstan, said of her calm and clinical finish.

She knew she had to capitalize quickly this time, after she admitted getting tight and needing almost a half-hour from her first match point to her match-winning point in a semifinal win over Jessica Pegula.

Three years ago, Rybakina won the first set of the Australian final but lost it in three.

This time, after breaking in the first game and taking the first set, she rallied after losing the second set and going down 3-0 in the third. She won five straight games to regain control.

“It gives me a kind of relief,” she said, “also, a lot of confidence for sure for the rest of the season.”

It was a second major title for fifth-seeded Rybakina, who won Wimbledon in 2022 and entered that Australian final three years ago as the only major winner in the contest.

While Sabalenka went on to win another three majors, including back-to-back triumphs in Australia and the 2024 and ’25 victories at the U.S. Open, Rybakina’s results dipped and she didn’t reach another major final until this tournament.

A win over Sabalenka at the season-ending WTA Finals has changed her career trajectory. She has the most match wins on tour since Wimbledon, and is now on a roll of 20 wins from 21 matches.

“Last year I didn’t start so well," she said. "I qualified for the (WTA) Finals late. I just hope I can carry this momentum. Do a good job with the team and continue this way.”

Rybakina is 10-0 in her last 10 matches against Top 10 players, and she'll return to No. 3 in the rankings.

Kazakhstan's flag was unfurled on the court at Rod Laver Arena after Rybakina had paraded the trophy around and posed for photos with her team.

She paid tribute to her coach, Stefano Vukov, who spent time under suspension last year by the women's tour. Vukov received a silver plate from the tournament organizers for being the champion's coach.

“Of course I would like to thank my team,” she said. "Without you it wouldn’t have been possible. Really. We had a lot of things going on (last year). Thank you to all of you, and hopefully we can keep on going strong this year.

“It’s a win for all the team, all the people who support me,” she said. “I just hope that I can carry this moment throughout the whole season and keep on improving.”

She said she'd been working Vukov since 2019 and she finds it helpful to hear the constant stream of technical and tactical advice he conveys from his seat beside the court. The more, the better, she said, because eventually she listens.

“We won many titles together,” Rybakina said. "And even last year in Ningbo, WTA Finals, and now this trophy I felt just, again, proud and thankful to my team for the work."

For Sabalenka, it's back-to-back losses in the final in Australia after going down in an upset last year to Madison Keys.

“Of course, I have regrets. When you lead 3-Love and then it felt like in few seconds it was 3-4, and I was down with a break — it was very fast,” she said. "Great tennis from her. Maybe not so smart for me.

“But as I say, today I’m a loser, maybe tomorrow I’m a winner. Hopefully I’ll be more of a winner this season than a loser. Hoping right now and praying.”

Rybakina went on the attack from the start and her serve was strong, with six aces and — apart from the two breaks at the end of the second set and the start of the third — she fended off six of the breakpoint chances she faced.

While Sabalenka’s emotions intensified, Rybakina maintained a determined quietness throughout.

In the end, she let her tennis do the talking.

AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis

Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus reacts after losing her match against Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan in the women's singles final at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Saturday, Jan. 31, 2026. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila)

Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus reacts after losing her match against Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan in the women's singles final at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Saturday, Jan. 31, 2026. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila)

Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan kisses the Daphne Akhurst Memorial Cup after defeating Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus to win the women's singles final at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Saturday, Jan. 31, 2026. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila)

Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus reacts after losing to Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan in the women's singles final at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Saturday, Jan. 31, 2026. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila)

Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan reacts after defeating Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus in the women's singles final at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Saturday, Jan. 31, 2026. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila)

Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan serves the ball to Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus during the women's singles final at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Saturday, Jan. 31, 2026. (AP Photo/Dar Yasin)

SEATTLE (AP) — The day after longtime Mariners broadcaster Rick Rizzs announced he will retire at the end of the 2026 season following his 41st year in the Seattle booth, he pleaded for the team to win the World Series this fall.

And at the Mariners’ fan fest Saturday at T-Mobile Park, countless key players from last year’s team, which came within one win of the franchise’s first World Series appearance, echoed the same sentiment. Perhaps nobody’s tune was louder than that of star center fielder Julio Rodríguez, who spoke on behalf of the club.

“I think this year is going to do wonders for us,” Rodríguez said. “I think we’re all in a better place.”

Seattle brought back many important contributors from last year’s team, which went 90-72 and won the franchise's first AL West title since 2001. It won’t just be catcher Cal Raleigh, who became the seventh player in major league history to hit 60 homers in a season, returning to the Emerald City.

There’s also first baseman Josh Naylor, who agreed to a five-year, $92.5 million contract with the Mariners in November. Naylor endeared himself to Seattle’s fan base with his aggressive style while hitting .299 with nine home runs and 19 stolen bases in 54 games after being acquired at the trade deadline.

“I can’t wait to spend a full season here, make some great memories,” Naylor said. “My goal is to win a World Series every year, and (I) really want to try to do that for this city and this organization and everyone involved.”

Still, the sting of a disappointing finish to a banner season continues to haunt various Mariners, just as it did in October in the days shortly after they were eliminated by the Toronto Blue Jays in Game 7 of the American League Championship Series. At the very least, though, it set a precedent for what the Mariners expect of themselves in 2026 and beyond.

Seattle starter George Kirby, who was third on the team in wins (10) last year, thinks getting to the ALCS should be the standard for this group moving forward.

“Getting to where we did, I feel like that’s the floor for us this year,” Kirby said. “Anything else kind of doesn’t cut it.”

Mariners manager Dan Wilson, entering his second full season at the helm, expressed a similar level of confidence in his team, which returns five players who were worth at least 3.8 Wins Above Replacement last season, according to baseball-reference.com. Perhaps unsurprisingly, president of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto and general manager Justin Hollander didn’t add many players to Seattle’s roster.

While veteran infielder Jorge Polanco — who had 26 home runs last season — left via free agency for the New York Mets, the Mariners did add outfielder Rob Refsnyder, who hit .269 with nine home runs and an .838 OPS in 70 games last year. Slugging third baseman Eugenio Suárez, obtained in a July trade, remains a free agent, so Seattle could turn to 25-year-old Ben Williamson, who was a rookie last year, to man the hot corner.

Otherwise, the Mariners will be putting their faith in a core led by Rodríguez, Raleigh, Naylor and right-handed starting pitchers like Kirby, All-Star Bryan Woo, Logan Gilbert, Luis Castillo and Bryce Miller.

“I love this group,” Wilson said. “To have that core continue to be together, you can add pieces to that as we have. And I think Jerry and Justin do an outstanding job of that. And the pieces, because there’s a core, the pieces fit in pretty quickly. I don’t anticipate that being any different.”

It remains to be seen how Refsnyder and prospects like Williamson, fellow young infielder Cole Young and others will slot into Seattle’s plans. The 2025 season remains one worth celebrating, but as Raleigh put it, the Mariners must build off what they already accomplished, or risk last year turning into a one-hit wonder.

“What we’re trying to accomplish here is winning a World Series and setting the standard, the bar, the expectations super high,” Raleigh said, “because that’s where we want to be. I think that’s kind of the way we’re looking at it.”

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb

FILE - Seattle Mariners starting pitcher Bryce Miller throws during the first inning of a baseball game against the Colorado Rockies, Sept. 23, 2025, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Ryan Sun, File)