Elena Rybakina vs Aryna Sabalenka Prediction: Energy abound as two offensive maestros clash

The Tennis scene is one of the busiest as professional players play a bunch of games each year and there is not much rest in between. Therefore, tennis fans are blessed with non-stop action, and when we head to the Grand Slams, the stakes and the pressure is ever so high. The WTA scene is tough because a lot of lower-ranked players constantly beat the elites and the competition level is as intense as it gets. Then there is starpower that is unmatched and when it is the Final, oh, we are in for something special. In this historic game of the Australian Open Final, Elena Rybakina will take on Aryna Sabalenka.

Rybakina enters the match after defeating Victoria Azarenka 7-5, 6-3 to win yet another Grand Slam Semi-Final. Elena was her usual aggressive self in the game, nailing 9 Aces and winning 76% on the first serve, although she connected on just 58% of her first serve. But it was the return game, where she showcased tremendous grit, earning a 39:25 receiving points advantage, which implies her evolution.

And oh lord, what a tough draw she had to face from the word go. After relatively two easier first rounds, she ran into 13th seeded Danielle Collins in a game which reached the third set. Then the incredible Kazakh player had the biggest win of the tournament for her as she beat the number-one player Iga Swiatak. Wins against tough costumers Jelena Ostapenko and Victoria Azarenka all came in two sets and Rybakina has dropped just one set thus far.

Sabalenka comes into the match after defeating Magda Linette 7-6, 6-2 in the Semi-Final. Sabaleka got hold of 6 Aces in her usual brutal playing style. She had a significant 70% win on first serve and also 70% win on the second serve. She was even better with her return, where she had a 29-20 receiving points edge. She kept her double-faults to two which is a great performance for someone who commits four or more regularly.

Saba had a tough draw too because she had to overcome experienced players. Her wins came against Mertens, Bencic, Vekic, Rogers, and Martincova. She is yet to lose a set and looks in terrific touch. She wasn’t living up to the hype before but found her touch in the WTA Finals. It is clear that she has worked on keeping her errors down and thanks to that, the Belarusian is in her first Grand Slam Finals.

Sabalenka and Rybakina have met three times and Sabalenka has won all those games. Interestingly, Rybakina pushed Saba to a deciding set in all instances.

Although Saba has the h2h advantage, she last played Elena way back in 2021 and since then, Elena’s game has been to another level. Rybakina has won a Grand Slam(Wimbledon) whereas Sabalenka is yet to win one. Both players look in such great form, both have beaten Iga Swiatek recently so this is not an easy one to call. In this case, I’d rather choose to comment on total and believe this will go to three sets.