Sabalenka primed for Rybakina rematch with eyes on third Australian Open crown
World number one Aryna Sabalenka enters the Australian Open in her familiar role as the hot favourite but unlike in the past two years the powerful Belarusian arrives without a title to defend or the momentum of a winning run in Melbourne.
Elena Rybakina held her nerve to outlast world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 in a thrilling Australian Open 2026 women's singles final at Rod Laver Arena on Saturday.
The Australian Open will offer a record A$111.5 million ($74.73 million) in prize money this year and while players welcomed the increase, top names like Coco Gauff and Aryna Sabalenka said the push for a bigger payout must continue across the Grand Slams.
Tough road for defending champion Keys
IMAGES from the Australian Open matches played at Melbourne Park in Melbourne on Thursday.
The day session attendance of 51,048 was some 10,000 short of day six on Friday and even less than last year's corresponding session.
Iga Swiatek heads into Melbourne Park with the Australian Open title the only gap on her Grand Slam resume, but the world number two is keen to avoid setting herself targets for the new season and says her main goal is to improve her game.
Top trio eye Grand Slam glory with Sabalenka targeting third Australian Open crown
Elena Rybakina put on a brilliant performance to defeat favourite Aryna Sabalenka 64, 46, 64 and lift her first Australian Open trophy.
While off-court battles over pay and governance rumbled on, opportunities were scarce beyond the duopoly at the top of the men's game, leaving Djokovic to provide the year's standout moments for the chasing pack.
Aryna Sabalenka exemplified consistency in 2025 and arrives for the November 1-8 tournament having retained her US Open title in September, after finishing runner-up to Madison Keys at the Australian Open and Coco Gauff at Roland Garros.
Elena Rybakina qualified for the WTA Finals' last four, beating an error-prone Iga Swiatek 3-6, 6-1, 6-0 on Monday, while Amanda Anisimova beat fellow American Madison Keys 4-6, 6-3, 6-2 in Riyadh.
Elena Rybakina stayed unbeaten at the WTA Finals in Riyadh with a 6-4, 6-4 victory over second alternate Ekaterina Alexandrova on Wednesday after Madison Keys withdrew from their final round robin meeting with illness and Mirra Andreeva was not fit to play.
'When he was not shooting, he was telling us stories and anecdotes. And reciting poems.'
Prepare to be dazzled by these glamorous moments from the New York runway.
Elena Rybakina rallied from a set down to beat Russian fourth seed Ekaterina Alexandrova 3-6, 6-0, 6-2 and win the Ningbo Open title on Sunday, as her late surge to reach next month's WTA Finals gained momentum.
Madison Keys achieved a significant milestone on Saturday, capturing her first Grand Slam title
Renata Zarazua, the only Mexican player in the US Open main draw, pulled off a stunning upset by beating sixth seed Madison Keys in the first round.
Players from the Philippines and Hong Kong will be on the schedule for the second round of a Grand Slam for the first time this week, as the U.S. Open sees the impact of an increasingly global game.
The highly anticipated trilogy fight between Katie Taylor and Amanda Serrano at the weekend was not only a win for the sport but could ultimately prove to be a game-changing moment for women's boxing.
Advertisers will pay 18 lakh to 25 lakh per 10 seconds, a 10% to 20% increase over the last Asia Cup final.
Defending champion Jannik Sinner, who has been recovering from illness, received a more favourable route to the US Open final than Carlos Alcaraz while Aryna Sabalenka will be tested in her bid to retain her title after the draw was made on Thursday.
Iga Swiatek arrives at the US Open with her sights set on a seventh Grand Slam title and a potential return to World No. 1 to cap what she calls a remarkable year of redemption following "the worst experience of my life".
Madison Keys fought off a late challenge from fellow American Hailey Baptiste to book her spot in the French Open quarter-finals with a 6-3, 7-5 victory at Roland Garros on Monday.
India's Nishant Dev continued his impressive start in the professional boxing circuit with a unanimous victory over Mexico's Josue Silva in the super-welterweight division at the iconic Madison Square Garden Theatre in New York.
-German veteran Tatjana Maria defied the odds to move into the biggest final of her career when she stunned second seed and Australian Open champion Madison Keys 6-3, 7-6(3) at the Queen's Club Championships on Saturday.
Tenth seed Lorenzo Musetti rallied from a set down to beat Frenchman Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard in the first round of the US Open on Tuesday even as Carlos Alcaraz mauled big-serving American Reilly Opelka and veteran Venus Williams made an emotional exit.
Aryna Sabalenka returns to the US Open as the reigning champion and bookmakers' favourite, but her 2025 season has been anything but smooth sailing.
'For the most populous Region in the World, it is important that I have someone I can fully trust to deliver on my Agenda and help us, MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN.'
Sabalenka relied on her trademark powerful serve to hold firm in the key moments, winning two tiebreaks to take her tally to 18 for the season, the most by any women's singles player in the professional era.
Eugenie Bouchard's best year was 2014 when she reached the semi-finals of the French and Australian Opens, and the final of Wimbledon.
Sabalenka, Keys reach Wimbledon third round with contrasting victories.
It marks Osaka's first WTA 1000 semi-final since Miami in 2022, as the Japanese former world number one needed just over an hour to secure victory over the 10th seeded Svitolina.
Iga Swiatek was the latest top player to suffer an upset loss in Montreal as the Wimbledon champion
The Olympic champions scored 90.18 points and brought the TD Garden crowd to its feet with their electric "dancing through the decades" program to a wide mix of music that included everything from Jive Bunny to the Bee Gees and Miles Davis.
Jasmine Paolini's exit means only one of the top five women's seeds -- world number one Aryna Sabalenka -- will be in the third round. It is only the second time that this has happened in the professional era after Wimbledon 2018.
Fritz, Shelton lead American charge at US Open with first-round wins
Carlos Alcaraz, who advanced to the last eight in Cincinnati for the third time, has now won 36 of his last 38 matches.
Americans Madison Chock and Evan Bates claimed gold at the World Figure Skating Championships on Saturday to become the first team in 28 years to capture three consecutive World Ice Dance titles.
