Australian Open 2026 AS IT HAPPENED: Tearful Aryna Sabalenka 'speechless' after second straight AO final defeat; Elena Rybakina claims maiden title in Melbourne

That wraps up our live coverage of the women's final between Elena Rybakina and Aryna Sabalenka, with the former prevailing in a thriller 6-4, 4-6, 6-4.

We'll be back tomorrow for the final day of the 2026 Australian Open, which will include the junior boys and girls singles finals, as well as the men's singles final between Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz.

We're guaranteed to see history - it will either be Djokovic's 25th grand slam title, and his 11th Australian Open, or Alcaraz will become the youngest to complete the career grand slam.

Join us again tomorrow!

Rybakina was asked if she'll still be around town tomorrow night to watch the men's match.

Unfortunately, she has a flight to catch in the evening, but is hopeful she'll be able to watch it on the plane.

"I have flight at night, so I will start watching, probably here and then on the plane," she said on Nine's coverage.

"Yesterday I also watched the guys play, and then I had to go to sleep in the fifth set. But I heard it was an amazing match and I definitely don't want to miss it."

News broke earlier today that Emma Raducanu had split with her coach. She's gone through several in the last few years.

Rybakina, by comparison, has had the same team around her since 2019. She thanked them for their crucial roles in her victory.

"Stefano, I've been working with him for such a long time already … 2019. It's a long period and he knows me very well.

"My physio, I'm working with him also for a long time, fitness coach … my whole team, I'm very grateful and thankful to them because without these guys it wouldn't be possible.

"We had great results before, then I was down a little bit and now we've managed to turn it around.

"I'm super thankful to all of my team the many more people who are actually working with me."

Rybakina now has 12 career titles to her name, and three of them have been in Australia - one in Brisbane, Hobart, and now the big one in Melbourne.

She clearly loves coming down under!

"Yeah I love Australia I have amazing memories since I was a junior here," she said on Nine's coverage.

"I'm just always happy to be back. You know it's the Happy Slam and I feel this overall … I mean everything in this country is amazing and I'm looking forward to coming next year."

With that win, she has moved to No.3 in the world rankings.

Rybakina was asked about her memories of that 2023 loss, particularly when Sabalenka fought back in the second set - exactly as she did after the 2023 final.

"We played many matches after. Of course I remember that match, but mostly I was watching the matches played recently with Aryna, and I think this time I stayed stronger," she said.

"I kept on going and I served well in the end of the match. So yeah, I'm super happy and I don't know, I don't what to say."

Rybakina has explained how she came back from 3-0 down in that third set, having battled nerves in the second.

"(The second set) it didn't go my way, and it took a come back to the match," she said.

"I'm just glad that even being three zero down, I stayed there for each point. And yeah, I got some opportunities and I took them. And then very glad also that I managed to this match in that way."

Elena Rybakina is on her way to the Channel Nine broadcast booth at Court 9 to speak after this match.

We'll bring you all the best bits from that chat.

Sitting 3-0 down in the third set against Aryna Sabalenka in the Australian Open women's final, Elena Rybakina was likely having flashbacks to 2023's defeat.

But not this time. Instead, she flipped the script on its head, winning five straight games en route to claiming her maiden Australian Open title 6-4, 4-6, 6-4.

From the jaws of likely defeat, the Kazakh star proved her growth from 2023 in a true underdog story.

READ THE FULL STORY HERE