Melbourne, Jan. 29 -- Fifth seed Elena Rybakina powered her way into the women's singles final of the Australian Open 2026, defeating sixth seed Jessica Pegula 6-3, 7-6(7) in a high-quality semifinal at Rod Laver Arena on Thursday.

Rybakina will now face World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka in Saturday's final, setting up a rematch of the Australian Open 2023 championship match. Sabalenka defeated Elina Svitolina in straight sets in the other semifinal, according to WTA website.

The 2022 Wimbledon champion delivered a composed and clutch performance to reach her third career Grand Slam final and her first major title match in three years, overcoming strong resistance from Pegula, particularly in a tense second set.

Rybakina made a solid start, ...