Aryna Sabalenka has one big problem to overcome after losing the Australian Open final

Follow us on Google Discover

Aryna Sabalenka needs to fix this issue if she is to achieve all the success that she has the potential to.

Sabalenka was beaten by Elena Rybakina in the Australian Open final, despite leading the deciding set 3-0.

This is the second consecutive year where she has finished as runner-up in Melbourne, with Madison Keys beating Sabalenka in the Australian Open final last year.

Sabalenka now has some questions to answer, as there is now a clear pattern emerging which is becoming a real concern.

Aryna Sabalenka needs to improve her record in finals

Sabalenka won the US Open last year, which was the fourth Grand Slam singles title of her career.

However, it could have been more for Sabalenka, who had already lost in the French Open and Australian Open finals last year.

Following her three set defeat to Rybakina, this now means that Sabalenka has only won four of her eight Grand Slam finals.

This is not just exclusive to Grand Slam tournaments, with Sabalenka only winning 22 of her 42 finals of any kind.

Sabalenka won six consecutive finals between 2019 and 2021, and it has actually been her more recent record in finals that has brought this record down.

This should raise alarm bells within the Sabalenka camp, as it is preventing her from achieving the success that her talent perhaps warrants.

Sabalenka needs to address this immediately, as she does not want to waste any more chances while she is clearly the best and most consistent player on the WTA Tour.

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

Comment

Like or Comment

Have your say Sign-in now for free

When did Aryna Sabalenka last win back-to-back finals?

Sabalenka won four titles in 2025, which was more than any other player on the WTA Tour.

However, this appears less impressive when you see that Sabalenka actually played in nine finals last year, and lost more of those matches than she won.

This also means that Sabalenka has not won back-to-back finals since the start of the 2025 season, when she won the Brisbane International.

Sabalenka’s victory in Brisbane was her fourth consecutive final victory, but she has not won back-to-back finals since then.

Not only does this highlight an issue the Belarusian has in finals, but also a matchup issue for Sabalenka against Rybakina, who also beat her in the final of the WTA Finals last year.

Sabalenka is next scheduled to compete at tournaments in the Middle East, but they are not tournaments she has found much recent success in.

Despite winning the Qatar Open title in 2020, Sabalenka only won one match in Doha and Dubai last year.