Elena Rybakina is the new Australian Open champion, having come from a break down in the third set to pip Aryna Sabalenka to the title.
For the victor, it marks the second major triumph of her career, and revenge for her loss to the same opponent in the 2023 final.
However, for Aryna Sabalenka, she will be heartbroken, having let another golden opportunity to add to her trophy cabinet slip away.
Chris Evert sympathised with her but was full of praise for Elena Rybakina.
Sabalenka was emotional in her on-court interview, but kept herself together to give an upbeat speech after yet another crushing defeat.
Chris Evert reacts to the women’s Australian Open final
Speaking live on ESPN, Evert began by praising the new champion.
The American superstar admitted: “She deserves this. I mean, she has been through the wringer, I think, you know, with everything that you’ve said, the injuries and the illnesses, she had viruses all the time.
How many Grand Slam titles does Elena Rybakina win in her career?
She was sick, and I think that was emotional. A lot of that was emotional.
“And then the issue with her coach, you know, they’re so close and they’re so tight, but for a while there, it just, it wasn’t healthy. And now they’re back, seemingly in a healthy place as coach and student.
“I hope this continues for her, the momentum continues because she’s, I didn’t even talk about her tennis.
“She’s one heck of a tennis player.”
Honing in on that quality, Evert continued: “I mean, she hits the ball hard, she’s consistent, she has so much balance when she plays, her serve is technically excellent. Little can go wrong with her serve. And she seems to have the mental.
“She’s always had the cool and the calm. And now, maybe the confidence is added after this big tournament for her.”
She concluded by rating the standard of women’s tennis right now: “We have a lot of depth in the women’s game. We have a lot of depth. But these two are the best players right now.”
Chris Evert discusses Aryna Sabalenka’s loss to Elena Rybakina
For Sabalenka, this marks yet another crushing loss on the biggest stage, and her rotten run of luck continues.
Whilst she did manage to claim the US Open title at the back end of last year, it did not make up for what had been months of heartbreaking near misses beforehand.
She lost to Madison Keys in the Australian Open final and Coco Gauff in the French Open final. Then, Amanda Anisimova stopped her in the Wimbledon semi-final.
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Now, Rybakina can be added to the list of players who have upset the odds and defeated Sabalenka, who has now lost four of the eight Grand Slam finals she has competed in.
Evert would go on to note: “Well, you know, as Mary Joe said, last year, she could have won this tournament, beaten by Madison Keys. She could have won the French Open. She could have won three slams.
“You know, three majors last year, and she said, ‘I know what I did wrong and I’m not gonna do it again.’ And then this year, she was up 3-0 in the third set. And, you know, she just let it, I think, slip through her fingers a little bit.”
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