Rybakina withstands Pegula's onslaught and sets up final clash with Sabalenka

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Elena Rybakina reached her third Grand Slam final in her career after defeating Jessica Pegula in two sets in the semifinals of the 2026 Australian Open, with a score of 6‑3, 7‑6(7), and will face Aryna Sabalenka in the final in Melbourne. 

The fifth seed had to withstand Pegula's push, who managed to save three match points in the second set tie-break and broke Rybakina's serve twice when the Kazakh had opportunities to close the match. Nevertheless, Rybakina managed to prevail in a tight tie-break, sealing the last two points with her sixth ace of the day and a crucial backhand winner to secure the victory. 

An impressive first set

From the first exchange, it was clear that the Kazakh player had clear intentions: in the first set, she broke Pegula's serve right from the start, in the first return game, sending a word of warning to the American of what to expect. From there, the match unfolded with both players holding their serves until Rybakina decisively closed the first set 6-3. 

In the second set, the level rose significantly. Along with it, the tension increased. Rybakina had two serves to close the match, but in an unexpected twist, Pegula broke her on both occasions due to the Kazakh's nerves, whose count of unforced errors kept rising as the match progressed. Pegula's precision against Rybakina's power. This was how the decisive second set tie-break unfolded. Pegula came close to forcing a third and final set, with two set points that she couldn't convert. Rybakina eventually prevailed 9-7 to secure her spot in the grand final. 

The dream final

This will be Rybakina's second Australian Open final (following the 2023 final against Sabalenka), and her first in three years. In that 2023 final, Sabalenka triumphed with a 4‑6, 6‑3, 6‑4 scoreline to claim the title.

Furthermore, Rybakina and Sabalenka become one of the player pairs who have faced each other the most times in Grand Slam finals, with this being the fifth occasion they will meet in a title match. 

This news is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Rybakina resiste la embestida de Pegula y se cita con Sabalenka en la final