Aryna Sabalenka is still in possession of a record despite her defeat in the Australian Open final.
Sabalenka was beaten by Elena Rybakina in the final of the Australian Open, despite leading the deciding set 3-0.
Despite being the clear world number one, Sabalenka has now lost three of her last four major finals.
While she was once again unable to add to her Grand Slam tally, Sabalenka does still hold one record which seems impossible for any other player to catch right now.
Aryna Sabalenka continues impressive record during Australian Open final
Although she was beaten by Rybakina, Sabalenka did win the second set of their match to avoid a straight sets defeat.
This is actually just the second time in Rybakina’s seven wins over Sabalenka where the match has finished in three sets.
However, this should not be a surprise to those that are aware of Sabalenka’s incredible Grand Slam record of not losing in straight sets, which she has now extended to 110 matches.
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Sabalenka has beaten many of her opponents in straight sets, as she did in six of her seven matches at the Australian Open this year, but she has not been on the other end of that for some time.
Showcasing just how impressive this is, the active WTA player who is closest to Sabalenka in this statistic is Naomi Osaka, who has not lost a straight sets match at a Grand Slam in the last 12 matches.
Some of the other players sitting behind Sabalenka include Australian Open champion Rybakina (10) and Marta Kostyuk.
| WTA Player | Consecutive Grand Slam matches winning at least one set |
| Aryna Sabalenka | 110 |
| Naomi Osaka | 12 |
| Elena Rybakina | 11 |
| Marta Kostyuk | 6 |
| Caroline Dolehide | 5 |
| Taylor Townsend | 5 |
| Zeynep Sonmez | 5 |
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It has now been over five years since Sabalenka last lost in straight sets at a Grand Slam, which came at the 2020 US Open.
This was when Sabalenka was just 22 years old, facing her compatriot and two-time Grand Slam champion Victoria Azarenka in the second round.
Experience won out on this occasion, as Azarenka, who did not play the Australian Open this year, beat Sabalenka, 6-1 6-3.
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Sabalenka has not lost in straight sets at a Grand Slam since then, showing just why she is the world number one.
The next time this record will be put to the test is at the French Open, where Sabalenka lost to Coco Gauff in the final last year.
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