Elena Rybakina has ‘the edge’ going into Australian Open final against Aryna Sabalenka, says Barbara Schett

Barbara Schett believes Elena Rybakina’s experience of already winning a Grand Slam gives her the advantage in Saturday’s Australian Open final.

Sabalenka may be playing in her first ever singles final at a major, but she won the doubles alongside partner Elise Mertens in 2021 and goes into this year’s singles final on a ten-match winning streak. The Belarusian has not lost a match or even dropped a set in 2023.

Schett is expecting an exciting final with both players known for their “very aggressive” styles of play.

She said: “The women’s final at the Australian Open is between Aryna Sabalenka and Elena Rybakina. Who would have thought that the two of them would meet in the final?

“Elena Rybakina, she has beaten the world No. 1 [Iga Swiatek] and former Grand Slam champions [Swiatek, Viktoria Azarenka and Jelena Ostapenko] to get to the final and Aryna Sabalenka, she has not dropped a set this year and she also won the tournament in Adelaide.

“Now the head-to-head between the two of them is pretty one-sided, because Sabalenka leads 4-0. But will that come into play in the final?

“Rybakina has been in the final of a Grand Slam and she won that one – that was in Wimbledon last year.

“The two of them have very similar game styles – very aggressive, they both serve extremely well.

“Off the court they’re completely different. Sabalenka is outgoing, she’s laughing, she’s smiling, Rybakina is more of a shy person.”

Schett thinks the final will be decided by who can gain control of the match in the early stages and thinks Rybakina will have too much for Sabalenka.

“It’ll be really interesting what it will come down to,” she said. “I think the beginning of the match is going to be crucial.

“I give the edge to Elena Rybakina because she’s got this one Grand Slam title under her belt already.”

– – –