The clash between these two is a repeat of the 2023 Australian Open final.
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Elena Rybakina defeated Jessica Pegula to reach the Australian Open final on Thursday. She will now face Aryna Sabalenka in the title match.
It will also be a repeat of the 2023 final. Kazakhstan's Rybakina, who is seeking her second Grand Slam title, defeated American Pegula 6-3, 7-6 (9/7).
The match on Rod Laver Arena lasted one hour and 40 minutes. Rybakina has not dropped a set in her finals so far. The 26-year-old's excellent performance here also gives her a chance to avenge her defeat to the Belarusian number one in the final three years ago, when Sabalenka came from a set down to win the title.
"The semi-final win was a tough one. Especially in the second set, it was a tough match. I'm happy because I won the match," Rybakina said. "But no matter what the situation was, I'm proud of my performance. Even when I was ahead by a set, it was difficult to win." But I never lost confidence. I fought for every point. So I say, I am very happy. In short, everything that happened was positive.'
Moscow-born Rybakina defeated second seed Iga Svatekh in the quarterfinals. She is on course to win her first Grand Slam since winning Wimbledon in 2022. Sabalenka, on the other hand, defeated Ukrainian Elina Svitlina 6-2, 6-3 to reach the final. The match was so tense that the two players did not even shake hands after the match. The match itself was filled with political overtones.
Sabalenka will now have a third chance to win the title in Melbourne. The loss means that 12th seed Svitlina has missed out on becoming the first Ukrainian player to reach a Grand Slam final in modern tennis. Like other players in the U-Train, Svitlina did not shake hands with the Russian or Moscow players. The reason behind this was the war. Before the match, the two players were asked not to shake hands and to respect this decision.
Both players also skipped the official pre-match photo session and other formalities. At the end of the match, Sabalenka said, "Some of the referee's decisions were not right. But what happened, it inspired me to play better. I think this kind of turn has benefited me, my game has become stronger. What I can say is that I am very happy with this victory. I think Svitlina is playing well right now."
