Despite being widely expected to defeat the unseeded American challenger Madison Keys and secure her third consecutive Melbourne championship, Sabalenka’s unreliable second serve re-emerged, contributing to her loss in three sets.
During the French Open, she characterized her performance as the “poorest final” she had ever played, committing seventy unforced errors amidst gusty weather.
Her match against Rybakina—who sought a second significant championship following her 2022 Wimbledon victory—was hardly a catastrophe.
Indeed, indications suggested she was preserving her steadiness until the moment the fifth-seeded Rybakina achieved a break point in the final set.
Unexpectedly, mistakes poured from both sides of her play as Sabalenka dropped her serve once more, making the score 4-3, and her concentration deteriorated even further.
During the match, she let her racket fall and angrily propelled it across the playing area.
Rybakina, on the other hand, maintained exceptional composure and closed out the game, securing her second significant title with the help of two aces.
When questioned about her perceived loss of impetus during the deciding set, Sabalenka responded: “Her tennis was exceptional. Perhaps my play wasn’t as strategic.
“Currently, I am defeated; perhaps tomorrow I will triumph, or perhaps be defeated once more. We shall observe.”
