Jessica Pegula says what she really thinks about Elena Rybakina as she wins in Australia

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Elena Rybakina doubled her Grand Slam tally in Melbourne.

Four years after her Wimbledon triumph, Rybakina defeated Aryna Sabalenka to win the Australian Open.

The Kazakh was excellent down under, defeating Kaja Juvan, Varvara Gracheva, Tereza Valentova, Elise Mertens, Iga Swiatek, Jessica Pegula, and Sabalenka en route to the title.

How many Grand Slam titles does Elena Rybakina win in her career?

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She didn’t drop a set before the final, but came close in the semis, surviving a 16-point tiebreak against Pegula.

Having pushed Rybakina close, Pegula has now given her verdict on the 2026 Australian Open women’s singles champion.

Jessica Pegula says Elena Rybakina is ‘super dangerous’ and rates her serve

During the latest episode of ‘The Player’s Box Podcast‘, Pegula had this to say about the new world number three.

“I feel like she is just playing super confident. She plays very aggressively, and I think she is pretty well-rounded as well,” she said.

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“She is good at the net. She can slice a little bit; her serve, I think, is probably the best on tour currently.

“So when I played her in the WTA Finals, it was kind of the same thing. I just felt like she is really trusting her aggressive play, and when you play someone like that, it’s super dangerous.”

She then shared her thoughts on their semifinal match in Melbourne.

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“My match was pretty crazy. I came back, saved a couple of match points, had set points, and she hit this one short forehand, which I don’t know how it went in, but it caught the back of the line, and I thought it was going out,” said Pegula.

“I kind of stopped, and then it dropped. And then she hit a winner.

“I feel like she is just playing very aggressively and very confidently.

“She also gets a lot of really good depth on her shots, so I always feel like she doesn’t just hit big, but a lot of really good depth, which forces a lot of errors.”

Elena Rybakina and Jessica Pegula’s head-to-head record

After making a strong start vs Rybakina, Pegula has now lost three of their last four matches.

If she wants any chance of winning a Grand Slam in the future, Pegula will need to find a way to beat Rybakina quickly.

Madison Keys claims Elena Rybakina has the best serve on the WTA Tour

Pegula’s co-host, Madison Keys, was also keen to praise the Kazakh.

“I feel like [Aryna] Sabalenka is the best at serve and first ball and return and first ball and really opening the court,” she said.

“But I think Elena’s serve is the best on Tour right now.

Elena Rybakina’s serving stats in 2026

• Aces – 75 (1st on WTA Tour)
• 1st Serve % – 56.4% (132nd on WTA Tour)
• 1st Serve points won % – 74.5% (6th on WTA Tour)
• 2nd Serve % – 54.4% (6th on WTA Tour)
• Service points won % – 65.7% (4th on WTA Tour)
• Break points saved % – 71.4% (7th on WTA Tour)
• Service games won % – 84.8% (4th on WTA Tour)

“Maybe not so much her pace, but her spots are so good. I was reading a stat where they were saying that she had gotten 15% more top spin on her forehand, so that is creating a better angle on her first ball.

“I feel like watching some of her matches this tournament, I have noticed that she is starting to become very deadly as well with that serve and immediately getting someone moving.”

Rybakina’s serve is certainly deadly, and may well cause Pegula and Keys further problems in 2026.

The American duo will avoid Rybakina at her next tournament, though, after they withdrew from the Qatar Open.

They could next meet at the Dubai Tennis Championships, which begins on Monday, February 16.

Mirra Andreeva is the defending champion in Dubai.