Elena Rybakina added her second Grand Slam trophy to her collection by winning the 2026 Australian Open. Four years after her Wimbledon victory, the Kazakh player triumphed over Aryna Sabalenka in the final held in Melbourne, showcasing her rising dominance on the women’s tour.
Throughout the tournament, Rybakina displayed remarkable form, defeating a series of strong competitors including Kaja Juvan, Varvara Gracheva, Tereza Valentova, Elise Mertens, Iga Swiatek, Jessica Pegula, and Sabalenka to claim the title without dropping a set before the final.
Jessica Pegula’s Perspective on Rybakina’s Game
After intense battles against Rybakina, Jessica Pegula shared her thoughts on the emerging world number three during a recent appearance on ‘The Player’s Box Podcast.’ Pegula praised Rybakina’s confident and aggressive style of play, highlighting her well-rounded game.
I feel like she is just playing super confident. She plays very aggressively, and I think she is pretty well-rounded as well,
Pegula said.
She especially noted Rybakina’s serve as a key weapon on the tour.
She is good at the net. She can slice a little bit; her serve, I think, is probably the best on tour currently.
So when I played her in the WTA Finals, it was kind of the same thing. I just felt like she is really trusting her aggressive play, and when you play someone like that, it’s super dangerous.
Pegula also reflected on their thrilling semifinal match at the Australian Open, describing it as a close and intense encounter.
My match was pretty crazy. I came back, saved a couple of match points, had set points, and she hit this one short forehand, which I don’t know how it went in, but it caught the back of the line, and I thought it was going out,
she recalled.
She added that Rybakina consistently hits with great depth, forcing errors from her opponents.
She also gets a lot of really good depth on her shots, so I always feel like she doesn’t just hit big, but a lot of really good depth, which forces a lot of errors.
Competitive Head-to-Head Between Pegula and Rybakina
Jessica Pegula began their rivalry strongly but has lost three of their last four meetings. As the two continue to face off in major tournaments, overcoming Rybakina remains a crucial step if Pegula aims to capture her next Grand Slam title.
Madison Keys Supports Pegula’s View, Applauds Rybakina’s Serve
Co-host Madison Keys also praised Elena Rybakina on the podcast, emphasizing the serve as Rybakina’s standout skill on the WTA Tour.
I feel like [Aryna] Sabalenka is the best at serve and first ball and return and first ball and really opening the court,
Keys remarked.
However, Keys contended that Rybakina’s serve currently surpasses others in effectiveness.
But I think Elena’s serve is the best on Tour right now.
Statistical Evidence of Rybakina’s Serving Dominance
- Aces: 75 (ranked 1st on the WTA Tour)
- First Serve Percentage: 56.4% (132nd)
- First Serve Points Won Percentage: 74.5% (6th)
- Second Serve Points Won Percentage: 54.4% (6th)
- Total Service Points Won Percentage: 65.7% (4th)
- Break Points Saved Percentage: 71.4% (7th)
- Service Games Won Percentage: 84.8% (4th)
Keys noted that while Rybakina’s serve may not rely heavily on pace, its placement and spin create significant challenges for opponents.
Maybe not so much her pace, but her spots are so good. I was reading a stat where they were saying that she had gotten 15% more top spin on her forehand, so that is creating a better angle on her first ball.
I feel like watching some of her matches this tournament, I have noticed that she is starting to become very deadly as well with that serve and immediately getting someone moving.
Upcoming Tournaments and Potential Matchups
With Rybakina’s powerful serving and aggressive playstyle, she poses a significant threat to both Pegula and Keys moving forward in the 2026 season. Both American players have opted out of the Qatar Open, avoiding an early rematch with the Kazakh star.
The next opportunity for them to face Rybakina could be the Dubai Tennis Championships, scheduled to begin on Monday, February 16. Mirra Andreeva enters that tournament as the defending champion, adding extra competition to the field.
