First&Red ambassador Aryna Sabalenka will have the chance to complete a remarkable Australian Open three-peat on Saturday.
The world No. 1 booked her place in a fourth consecutive Melbourne final with a commanding 6-2, 6-3 victory over Elina Svitolina. The last player to reach four straight Australian Open finals was Martina Hingis, who appeared in six consecutive championship matches between 1997 and 2002, winning the first three.
Standing across the net on Saturday will be Elena Rybakina—the very same opponent Sabalenka defeated in the 2023 Australian Open final. Representing Kazakhstan, Rybakina needed four match points to overcome Jessica Pegula, winning 6-3, 7-6 (7). Three years ago, Sabalenka captured her maiden Australian Open title by edging Rybakina in a gripping three-set final on Rod Laver Arena, 4-6, 6-3, 6-4.
For Sabalenka, this will be her eighth Grand Slam final overall and an incredible seventh consecutive hard-court Grand Slam final, dating back to the 2023 Australian Open. She has not dropped a set on her way to this year's championship match—the same flawless path she followed during her title runs in both 2023 and 2024, when she lifted the Daphne Akhurst Memorial Cup.
Rybakina, meanwhile, has reached her third Grand Slam final and her first in three years, also without losing a set. Her toughest challenge came against Pegula, who held two set points in the second-set tiebreak before Rybakina closed out the match. As a result, this marks the first Australian Open women's final in 22 years in which neither finalist has dropped a set en route. The last time it happened was in 2004, when Justine Henin and Kim Clijsters contested the title.
Many believe this is the dream final—a meeting between the two best women's players in the world today. Both Sabalenka and Rybakina are built around explosive baseline tennis and devastating serves. Each knows how painful Grand Slam final defeats can be, and each will step onto the court believing Saturday can be her day. The 26-year-old Rybakina is a Wimbledon champion (2022) and Australian Open runner-up (2023). Sabalenka owns two titles each in Melbourne and New York, while also finishing runner-up once at the Australian Open, the US Open and Roland Garros.
Saturday's final will be the 15th meeting between the two stars. Sabalenka, now 27, leads the head-to-head 8-6, but it was Rybakina who claimed their most recent encounter, defeating the Belarusian 6-3, 7-6 (0) in last autumn's WTA Finals championship match in Riyadh.
So who has the edge this time? The numbers suggest almost perfect balance. Rybakina has won 18 of her last 19 matches and enters the final riding a nine-match winning streak against Top 10 opponents. The last Top 10 player to beat her? Sabalenka herself, in Wuhan last October. Her biggest weapon in Melbourne has once again been her serve, producing 41 aces through the tournament.
Sabalenka, for her part, has opened the season with 11 consecutive victories, having successfully defended her Brisbane title before arriving in Melbourne. Her Australian record is equally staggering: 44 wins in her last 46 matches on Australian soil. Those only two defeats came against Rybakina in the 2024 Brisbane final and Madison Keys in the 2025 Australian Open championship match. Sabalenka says those painful losses have taught her valuable lessons. She believes she now understands exactly what went wrong in every Grand Slam final she has lost and feels prepared for whatever Saturday's match may bring. As is so often the case in elite tennis, the outcome may ultimately come down to the fundamentals — serve, return and mental strength.
Whoever manages to bring all three together will likely be celebrating with the trophy on Saturday evening. Regardless of the result, Sabalenka will remain world No. 1 after the tournament. Rybakina will climb back to No. 3 in the rankings for the first time since January 2024, while Iga Świątek will remain No. 2.
The 2026 Australian Open champion will take home $2.75 million in prize money, while the runner-up will receive $1.44 million.
