Aryna Sabalenka entered the Australian Open final as the favorite but has now lost as many Grand Slam finals as she has won. Following two hours and eighteen minutes of grueling action, it was Rybakina who clinched the second Grand Slam victory of her career. After facing defeat, Sabalenka arrived at the post-game presser, opening up about her biggest regrets about the final.

“I don’t know if I have any regrets. Maybe I should have tried to be more aggressive on my serve, knowing that I have a break and put pressure on her. But she played incredible. She made some winners. I made a couple of forced errors,” said Sabalenka.

“So of course I have regrets when you lead three love and then it felt like in few second it was 3-4 and I was down with the break so it was very fast and great tennis from her maybe not so smart from me but as I say today I’m a loser maybe tomorrow I’m a winner maybe again a loser, hopefully not,” the world No. 1 further added.

This was indeed a bitter pill for the Belarusian tennis star to swallow. Sabalenka’s recent performances have been phenomenal: 46 wins out of 48 hard court matches at Grand Slams say it all.

Not to mention, the script seemed to follow the 2023 final between the two. Back then, Sabalenka lost the first set, too, before coming back to claim the next two sets 6-3, 6-4.

But this time around, Rybakina did not repeat her mistakes. After winning the first set, Sabalenka stormed back into the game, winning the second set 6-4.  In the final set, Sabalenka went ahead by 3-0. Unfortunately for her, Rybakina clawed her way back into the game, breaking for 4-3, and eventually winning the third set 6-4.

“I was really upset with myself, I would say, because once again I had opportunities,” she added.

Praising her opponent, Sabalenka appreciated Rybakina’s aggressive approach, but it nonetheless marks another painful chapter in a long line of finals losses.

Aryna Sabalenka’s dominant Australian Open run ends despite fighting mental barriers

After enduring the twin heartbreak of losing back-to-back Grand Slam finals last year at Melbourne Park and Roland Garros, something had to give for Aryna Sabalenka. And following her loss to Keys at the Australian Open, Sabalenka vowed to better control her emotions in high-pressure situations.

Her efforts finally bore fruit at the US Open, where she defeated Amanda Anisimova to defend her US Open title. Though her season came to an end with another finals loss at the WTA Finals against Elena Rybakina, Sabalenka appeared to shake off that loss at the start of the 2026 season as she stormed to the title in Brisbane without dropping a set.

She carried that momentum into Melbourne Park as she continued her hot streak, not dropping a set throughout. And yet in the end Sabalenka was faced with a familiar heartbreak, just in a different flavor.

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“I take each loss individually, because I feel like, I mean, obviously it was different players almost every time and different problems that I was facing during the match, different mistakes,” she said.

But her latest loss has sparked questions of her preparedness and big-game mentality, despite her efforts. Her status as the reigning world No. 1 for the past two seasons only adds to the doubts. Despite her four major titles, there is the belief that the Belarusian can and should be winning more.

“I felt that Sabalenka really beat herself up in that final set,” said former pro Annabel Croft on BBC Radio 5 Live. “The minute panic set in she just steamrolled in the wrong direction.”

Still, if nothing, Sabalenka’s ability to bounce back from major losses is unmatched. As she says herself:

“You know, today you’re loser; tomorrow you’re winner. Hopefully I’ll be more of a winner this season than a loser. Hoping right now and praying,”