MELBOURNE – Aryna Sabalenka is the contemporary queen of Australia, even after losing the 2025 final — and with one more match still to play before she can lift the trophy again in 2026.
On Thursday night in Melbourne, the Belarusian secured her fourth consecutive Australian Open final, a feat not seen among women since the days of Martina Hingis, who reached six straight finals between 1997 and 2002.
Her streak began in 2023, when Sabalenka captured her first Grand Slam title by defeating Elena Rybakina in one of the most thrilling major finals in recent years. It’s déjà vu at Melbourne Park, as the two will once again face off for the women’s singles trophy this Saturday.
“I think it’s not going to be the same as that final, because she and I are different players now. We’ve gone through different things. We’re much stronger, both mentally and physically, and we’re playing better tennis. So I’ll approach this match as a completely different one, even though we’ve shared a long history since that final,” the world No. 1 said.
In 2024, Sabalenka won back-to-back titles by defeating China’s Qinwen Zheng, but last year she lost the final to Madison Keys. A victory in that match would have made her just the sixth player in tournament history to win three consecutive Australian Open titles — a club reserved for legends such as Margaret Court, Evonne Goolagong, Steffi Graf, Monica Seles, and Martina Hingis.
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There was no triple crown in 2025, but Sabalenka’s four consecutive finals still mark an era. She is the third player with the most successive appearances in the Melbourne final, behind only the six achieved by Evonne Goolagong (1971–1976) and Martina Hingis (1997–2002).
She is also the first player since Serena Williams (2014) to reach four straight finals at any Grand Slam.
Records for the ages, for many, though Sabalenka prefers to avoid that conversation.
“I feel the best way to stay focused is to keep my mind on the present. Maybe at the end of my career, we can sit down, look back, and talk about it… whether I am one of those players or not,” she said at a press conference after her 6-2, 6-3 victory over Elina Svitolina.
Sabalenka is continuing to build an impressive résumé. The world No. 1’s achievements are not limited to Melbourne. In New York, she is the defending champion and has also reached the last three finals there.
If she wins the Australian Open title this Saturday, she will claim her fifth Grand Slam trophy, moving within one of Iga Swiatek and tying with stars such as Maria Sharapova and Martina Hingis.
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