Aryna Sabalenka took a few measured steps forward, racquet cocked behind her body. Once the ball sat up to a comfortable height, she hit a hard forehand for a cross-court winner.
A few hours later on Thursday, on the same court at the Rod Laver Arena, Elena Rybakina took a quick split-step to come inside the baseline. She pulled her racquet behind her, loading for a backhand. When the ball came into her striking zone, she hammered a two-hander down-the-line for a winner.
In those two strokes, two of the hardest-hitters on the women’s tennis secured their spots in the final of the Australian Open.
Sabalenka, the world No.1 took 76 minutes to earn a 6-2, 6-3 win over Elina Svitolina. Meanwhile, world No.5 Rybakina beat American player Jessica Pegula 6-3, 7-6(7) in an even 100 minutes of play.
Thursday’s displays were examples of the immense hitting abilities both Sabalenka and Rybakina possess. But striking the ball with power is one thing. Consistently getting it over the net and landing it between the lines is just as important. And Saturday’s final will be the 15th meeting between two of the more in-form players in recent months.
They both enter the final having not dropped a single set at the tournament. Their semi-final wins followed their own idiosyncratic scripts though.
Sabalenka, now in her 75th week as the world No.1 was up against an inspired Svitolina, who has made it to this stage of the competition for the first time.
The Ukrainian has made a successful transition from a defensive baseliner to a gritty and attacking player. But dealing with the power of Sabalenka is a whole different challenge.
Consider this… Sabalenka’s average first serve speed on the night, 175 kph, was the fastest Svitolina could muster.
The Belarusian found the first break of serve in the match in the fourth game, and did not look back as she stormed through to win the first set rather comfortably — though she did have to save two break points on her own serve.
Svitolina fought back briefly after the break to take a 2-0 lead. The world No.1 however, roared back quickly, winning six of the next seven games to become the first player since Martina Hingis to reach four consecutive Australian Open finals (Hingis reached six back-to-back finals from 1997 to 2002). “That’s an incredible achievement but the job is not done yet,” Sabalenka said in her on-court interview, as she chases a third title in Melbourne and fifth Major overall.
Hitting hard and heavy shots across the net though was not the only thing Sabalenka had in her arsenal. She was also playing with the key tactic of keeping the ball away, as much as possible, from Svitolina’s favoured backhand.
Eventually, she would hit 29 winners against 15 unforced errors in an efficient performance.
Rybakina’s numbers though were a bit more even, as she struck 31 winners to 29 unforced errors against Pegula.
Just like Sabalenka though, Rybakina’s average first serve speed in her semi-final (178 kph) matched the best Pegula could hit. And just like Sabalenka, Rybakina was off to a quick start, winning the first three games.
Coming into the match, the Kazakh had been on an upswing. She struggled at the beginning of the 2025 season, but her form picked up towards the end of the year as she won WTA 500 in Ningbo, China, followed by a win over Sabalenka in the title match of the WTA Finals.
She carried that same form into the second set, getting the break in the third game and even earning three match point opportunities at 5-3 on Pegula’s serve. The American though, managed to hang on and get the break at the right moment to extend the set.
Rybakina had one more chance to serve out the match at 6-5, but once again Pegula broke back.
In the tiebreak, the American had two set-point opportunities, including one on her own serve, but this time it was Rybakina who hit back in the only way she knows how — with some heavy hitting.
From down 6-7, she won the next three points with a forced error, an ace, and a big backhand return winner. “I’m proud that no matter the situation, I stayed there. I was fighting for each point,” Rybakina later said on court. “Overall, a lot of positives to take.”
They now have two days to prepare for a repeat of the 2023 Australian Open final. Sabalenka had won that power-hitting battle 4-6, 6-3, 6-4. Time for Take 2 on Saturday.
