Sometimes, less really is more. In the high-stakes pressure cooker of the Australian Open final, Elena Rybakina’s coach, Stefano Vukov—a man usually known for being quite vocal—delivered the simplest of instructions that arguably altered the course of tennis history. With his charge trailing Aryna Sabalenka 0-3 in the deciding set, Vukov offered just two words: “More energy.”
It was a directive that proved perfectly timed and right on the money.
Moments earlier, Rybakina appeared to have completely run out of gas. Despite starting the match with a bang—ambushing Sabalenka with precise, high-paced shots and breaking her immediately—the Kazakh star had begun to falter. Late in the second set, with the trophy seemingly within reach at 4-4, nervous glances toward her player box turned into tentative swings. She was broken, and the collapse bled into the third set. Sabalenka, looking to shed her history of emotional losses, seized the moment, rifling backhand winners and holding off break points to build a commanding 3-0 lead. The top seed and two-time champion seemed to have weathered the early storm, finally staying calm in the face of adversity.
The Shift in Momentum
Vukov’s intervention, however, sparked an immediate physiological and tactical shift. Rybakina fired an ace to hold serve, broke back to reach 2-3, and suddenly began to wrest control of the rallies from a stunned Sabalenka. The energy didn’t just return; it became the deciding factor. Rybakina later noted that despite being down, she managed to stop the frustration and focus on individual points, a mental reset that defined the homestretch of the match.
This clash of the “six-footers” was always destined to be a war of attrition featuring short points and abrupt momentum swings. While Rybakina dominated the first half of the match, Sabalenka had successfully put her on her heels until that critical third-set juncture. Yet, two specific errors from Sabalenka cracked the door open for Rybakina’s late run.
The first came with Rybakina serving at 2-3. Facing break point at 30-40, she kicked a second serve to Sabalenka’s backhand—a shot the Belarusian had been crushing down the line all night. This time, Sabalenka opted for crosscourt and missed just wide. The second pivot point arrived in the subsequent game. Serving at 3-3 and down 15-40, Sabalenka saved one break point but then drilled a mid-court forehand directly into the net.
Composure quickly unraveled for the favorite. Sabalenka, realizing she had ceded control, eventually slammed her racquet in frustration. Rybakina, conversely, held her nerve. Serving for the championship at 5-4, she hammered a service winner to set up match point and sealed the title with an ace.
Lessons from the Past
For Rybakina, the victory was a redemption of sorts, reversing the outcome of their final three years prior. She admitted to studying that previous loss to Sabalenka, noting how her opponent had stepped in and taken risks on second serves.
“I knew that today if I get a chance to lead that I will need to try also kind of some risky shots and just go for it,” Rybakina said. “Not wait for any mistakes or even get to the long rallies.”
While Sabalenka joked afterward that her team was trying to “escape” her due to the raw emotions of the loss—her fourth defeat in a major final despite being the favorite—Rybakina wasted little time basking in the glory.
Back to Business in Qatar
Barely a week after lifting the trophy in Melbourne, the freshly minted Australian Open champion returned to the WTA Tour, bringing her winning streak to the Middle East. After benefiting from a first-round bye at the WTA 1000 event in Doha, Rybakina faced off against China’s Xinyu Wang.
The transition from Grand Slam glory to regular tour play can be tricky, but the world number three showed little rust early on, dominating the opening set 6-2. However, the resilience she learned in Melbourne was required once again in the second set. Wang managed to gain the upper hand, leading 4-2 and threatening to push the match to a decider.
Channeling the same grit that saw her overturn the deficit against Sabalenka, Rybakina reeled off four consecutive games to secure a 6-2, 6-4 straight-sets victory. The win booked her a spot in the Round of 16, where she is set to face either Qinwen Zheng or Alycia Parks, proving that the energy she found in Australia has followed her across the globe.
