ELENA RYBAKINA REACHES 2026 AUSTRALIAN OPEN FINAL; FACES ARYNA SABALENKA FOR TITLE
Elena Rybakina defeated Jessica Pegula to reach the 2026 Australian Open final, setting up a high-stakes rematch with Aryna Sabalenka.
Elena Rybakina knows exactly what’s waiting for her: another showdown with Aryna Sabalenka, world number one, and the same opponent who beat her in last year’s Australian Open final. This time, Rybakina’s set on payback.
The Kazakh, seeded fifth, fought hard to book her spot in the final. She took down American sixth seed Jessica Pegula, 6-3, 7-6 (9/7), after 1 hour and 40 minutes of relentless rallies. That win sets up a Saturday clash with Sabalenka, the player who crushed Rybakina’s dreams in Melbourne last year by clawing back from a set down to take the trophy.
“It was a great battle, and in the end, she just played a little better. She deserved that win,” Rybakina said, thinking back on last year’s final. “Now, I want to enjoy the final. Hopefully, I’ll serve better than today—that should help me. I’m just excited to play.”
Neither Rybakina nor Sabalenka has dropped a set at this tournament, though Pegula came close to changing that. Rybakina controlled the first set, but things got tense in the second. Pegula saved three match points on her own serve and even broke Rybakina as she served for the match.
“That was a real battle. The second set was epic. I’m so glad I managed to win it,” Rybakina said. “I’m proud of how I stuck with it, even when things got tight. I fought for every point. There’s a lot to feel good about. Right now, I just need some rest.”
Born in Moscow and now based in Dubai, Rybakina knocked out second seed Iga Swiatek in the quarter-finals. She’s chasing her first Grand Slam since winning Wimbledon in 2022. Lately, she’s been on fire—she beat Sabalenka to win the WTA Finals in Riyadh in November, and she’s won 19 of her last 20 matches.
From the start, Rybakina set the tone. She held serve to love, broke Pegula when the American netted a backhand, and jumped out to a 3-0 lead. Pegula started to find her groove, saving break points and holding on at 2-4, but Rybakina was already in control. She closed out the set in just 32 minutes.
Rybakina has made a habit of finishing matches strong—she’s won her last 22 matches after taking the first set. She grabbed an early lead in the second set, but Pegula, clearly frustrated, managed to break back. Still, Rybakina’s power from the baseline proved too much, and she broke Pegula again right away.
Pegula dug in, saving three match points at 3-5 and pulling off a break as a nervous Rybakina served for the match. The crowd sensed a comeback, and Pegula broke again to force a tiebreak, but Rybakina stayed composed and sealed her spot in a third Grand Slam final.
WHY DID NOVAK DJOKOVIC REACH OUT TO MOISE KOUAME DESPITE WITHDRAWING FROM MIAMI 2026?
Moise Kouame, 17, becomes the youngest Miami Open winner in history and reveals a secret Instagram DM from Novak Djokovic.
Moise Kouame is only 17, but he’s already catching everyone’s eye in tennis. He started this year on fire, grabbing back-to-back ITF titles, then reaching a Challenger semi-final. Now, he's just picked up his first-ever win on the ATP Tour at a Masters 1000 event, no less.
In other news, Leicester City is fighting back against a six-point penalty for breaking financial rules.
Back to Kouame, the world No. 385 pulled off a gritty comeback against Zachary Svajda, winning 5-7, 6-4, 6-4, even while cramping up by the end. People packed Court 7 to watch him make his Masters 1000 debut as a wildcard. Even Novak Djokovic, who skipped the tournament with a shoulder injury, was watching from afar. Since 2019, Djokovic has only played in Miami once, when he was runner-up last year, but clearly, he’s still following the action.
Now, Kouame has made a bit of history. At 17 years and 13 days old, he’s the youngest man ever to win a match at the Miami Open, matched a Nadal record from 2003, and became the seventh-youngest winner at this level. Not bad for a debut. And then, right after his win, he got a message from his idol. Honestly, Kouame was left speechless.
When Steve Weissman from Tennis Channel interviewed him after his first main-draw tour win, Kouame couldn’t hide his nerves. “Actually, I have a small secret. After the win, Novak texted me. I’m so nervous. I don’t know what to answer! I’m really so nervous right now. I don’t know if I’m going to answer. Maybe if you have tips, maybe you can give me?”
He tried to figure out what to say. Should he just text, "Thank you, Novak"? Or maybe, "Thank you, my idol"? Nothing sounded right. “No, never [met him]. It’s my dream. [It was] on Instagram! He DMed me. So, imagine having your idol DM you like this. Oh my god. This is too much for me. Oh my god. Coolest thing ever.”
Weissman jumped in with a bit of advice, too: “Don’t just double-tap it; you’ve got to give a response. ‘Thanks so much, Novak. If you have any time to meet in the future, that would be amazing. Any tips you have, maybe some advice.’
Some tips from Djokovic would come in handy, especially with Kouame set to face 21st seed Jiri Lehecka next. He had to see the physio for cramps after his first-round win, but told Tennis Channel he was doing alright, just a little jittery about talking live on TV.
“Now I’m feeling good, quite stressed! Obviously, we’re live, and my English, all this – I’m quite stressed. But in the match it was cool. I had some cramps, but yeah, I managed to get over it and win at the end. I’m really happy with it,” he said.
What a ride: first big ATP win, a message from Djokovic, and now the whole tennis world is watching.
INSIDE JANNIK SINNER’S HISTORIC INDIAN WELLS VICTORY AS FIRST ITALIAN MALE CHAMPION
Jannik Sinner makes history as the first Italian man to win Indian Wells, defeating Daniil Medvedev in two tiebreaks.
Jannik Sinner crushed Daniil Medvedev’s hopes at Indian Wells Sunday night. Medvedev looked sharp all week; he even took down Carlos Alcaraz to reach the final.
But when it came to the championship match, Sinner edged him out in two tense tiebreaks, 7-6, 7-6. Medvedev’s loss stings, but let’s be real: his level this week showed he’s back to fighting for big trophies after a pretty rough 2025.
He’s set a big goal for himself, too, with all the pressure that comes along with it. After the match, Medvedev, now 30, talked about whether he’s the one who can break up Alcaraz and Sinner’s grip at the top; he even admitted he slipped up a bit in the final.
On that note, it’s wild how Alcaraz and Sinner have ruled the ATP Tour lately. Between them, they’ve grabbed the last nine Grand Slam titles and barely given anyone else a chance. Still, Medvedev made things interesting at Indian Wells by beating Alcaraz and pushing Sinner to the edge.
In his post-match press conference, Medvedev shared his thoughts on his future and the big question: Can he really challenge Sinner and Alcaraz?
He said, “Honestly, it’s a pleasure to play Sinner and Alcaraz. Last year, I didn’t even get a shot; they were out of reach because I kept losing early. I’m glad this time I played well enough to beat the others first, took down Carlos, and then got to face Jannik.
My goal? Not to obsess over them, but to work on my own game, beat everyone else, and then, chances are, in Miami, I'm going to run into one of them in the semis or the final if I play out of my mind.”
He continued, “It’s tough to say if I’m the guy to challenge them, honestly. I’ve lost a bunch against them, and again today with Jannik. But I know I can play top-level tennis. Whoever I meet next, whether it’s Carlos, Jannik, or someone else, I’ll just try to play my best tennis. I proved I can do it again here, in Dubai, and in Brisbane.
On any given day, anyone can challenge them; look at Jakub beating Jannik in Doha or me beating Carlos here. So it’s not just me, not just Novak, not just Sascha. But it’s hard, and that’s why by the end of the season, those guys have sixty wins and only five or six losses, half of those losses coming against each other. It’s a tough mountain to climb, but you just keep trying.”
Now, Sinner, Alcaraz, and Medvedev head to the Miami Masters, which kicks off Tuesday. The last time around, Jakub Mensik won there; it’s the second Masters 1000 event of 2026.
Sinner made history on Sunday. No Italian man had ever won Indian Wells until he pulled it off. He now owns 25 ATP titles and is the youngest player to win all six ATP hard-court Masters events. Back in 1974, John Newcombe was the tournament’s first champ, beating Arthur Ashe in the final. Since then, Djokovic, Nadal, and Federer have all lifted the trophy. Federer and Djokovic sit at the top with five Indian Wells titles each.
