Fifth seed Elena Rybakina advanced to the women’s singles final of the Australian Open 2026 after registering a straight-sets victory over sixth seed Jessica Pegula in a high-quality semifinal at Rod Laver Arena on Thursday.
Rybakina sealed the contest 6-3, 7-6(7) to book her place in Saturday’s final, where she will face World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka, setting up a repeat of the 2023 Australian Open championship match.
The 2022 Wimbledon champion delivered a composed performance, reaching her third career Grand Slam final and her first major title match in three years. Rybakina made a strong start by securing an early break and maintaining control throughout the opening set, which she closed out 6-3 without conceding a break point.
The second set proved far more competitive, with Pegula mounting a determined comeback. The American saved three match points while serving at 3-5 and later broke Rybakina twice when the fifth seed served for the match at 5-4 and again at 6-5. Despite the late pressure, Rybakina held firm in the tiebreak, saving two set points before closing out the match 9-7 with back-to-back winners, including her sixth ace of the encounter.
The semifinal lasted one hour and 40 minutes and marked the first Grand Slam meeting between the two players. With the win, Rybakina improved her head-to-head record against Pegula to 4-3.
The result also extended Rybakina’s strong recent form, with the 26-year-old now having won 19 of her last 20 matches, including nine consecutive victories against Top 10 opponents.
Sabalenka, who progressed to the final after a straight-sets win over Elina Svitolina, has also not dropped a set during the tournament. Saturday’s final at Melbourne Park is set to feature two players in peak form, with both vying for the women’s singles title.
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