MELBOURNE: Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus fought back from a set down to beat reigning Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina at the Australian Open final on Saturday.
It was her first Grand Slam title.
The hard-hitting Belarusian collapsed to the court in tears after winning 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 against the Wimbledon champion in a high-quality 2hr 28min arm-wrestle on Rod Laver Arena.
The 24-year-old wiped a tear from her right eye before getting a warm hug from Moscow-born Rybakina, who played a full part in an amazing match between to hard-hitters.
Sabalenka, the fifth seed, then ran to her player’s box to celebrate joyously with her team.
It was a fitting finale to two weeks of drama at Melbourne Park, highlighted by brutal groundstrokes, precision serving and wonderful rallies from two players at the top of their game.
