Two of the biggest servers in the women's clash in a repeat of the 2023 Australian Open final as Aryna Sabalenka and Elena Rybakina face off once again, with neither having yet to lose a set.
The Australian Open women’s singles final takes place at Melbourne Park on Saturday morning when world No.1 Aryna Sabalenka and fifth seed Elena Rybakina compete in a repeat of the 2023 final.
Sabalenka triumphed on that occasion, before going on to successfully defend the Daphne Akhurst Memorial the following season, and the 27-year-old is a narrow favourite in pursuit of a fifth Grand Slam title.
Read on for our predictions for the 2026 Australian Open women’s final.
Women’s Australian Open Final Best Bets
Sabalenka can bring up Melbourne Park hat-trick
Aryna Sabalenka and Elena Rybakina have both made relentless progress through the draw in Melbourne, each winning all six contests without dropping a set, and the betting offers an insight into how well matched the pair are.
Sabalenka, with her superior Grand Slam pedigree, is a 13/20 shot, while Rybakina is 5/4 to add the Australian Open title to the Wimbledon title that she won in 2022 when priced up at similar odds to defeat Ons Jabeur.
Off-court issues have held back the Kazakhstani, but she appears to be in a good place both mentally and physically at this year’s Australian Open, and that makes her one of the most dangerous players on the WTA Tour, a fact that Sabalenka will be all too aware of.
The head-to-head is 8-6 in favour of the Belarusian, but Rybakina beat her in Cincinnati last year then again in the WTA Finals final, so Sabalenka knows not to underestimate her opponent.
It’s possible, however, that Sabalenka, who danced every dance at the highest level last year, was running on fumes when they clashed in Riyadh, and there’s every reason to think she can reverse that form on the Rod Laver Arena.
Beaten by Madison Keys in last year’s final, Sabalenka is a worthy favourite to regain her crown but she could be made to do it the hard way, so the best option could be to take her to prevail in a long match.
The world No.1 beat Rybakina 4-6 6-3 6-4 in the 2023 Melbourne final, and in a tournament notable for one-sided matches, the showpiece match could be a much more dramatic affair.
Tip 1: Aryna Sabalenka to win & over 22.5 games @ 7/4
Big-serving duo could be hard to split
These are two of the biggest servers on the WTA Tour and those looking for a supplementary wager should chance a tiebreak in the match at odds-against on the basis that breaks of serve could prove hard to find.
Rybakina, in particular, has been brilliant on serve throughout the tournament, firing in 41 aces – 14 more than the next best in the women’s draw – and winning 74% of points behind her first serve.
Only five of their previous 14 meetings went to a tiebreak, but there were two in their three-set battle in Berlin last summer, won by Sabalenka, and one in their WTA Finals clash, too.
With both at the peak of their powers over the last fortnight, they could be hard to split.
Tip 2: Tiebreak in match @ 13/10
