Aryna Sabalenka has reacted after losing Saturday's Australian Open final to Elena Rybakina at the Rod Laver Arena.
Rybakina etched her name into the history books, prevailing 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 to win the second major of her career following her triumph at Wimbledon in 2022.
Sabalenka had gone into the contest as the favourite given her status as world No 1.
She was simply outgunned, however, with her opponent reigning supreme with one of the best performances of her career.
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Sabalenka was visibly frustrated after the match, sitting with a towel over her head as she digested the disappointing nature of the result.
Speaking afterwards, the 27-year-old admitted she was 'speechless' after her hopes of another Grand Slam title were emphatically ended.
"Honestly guys I'm really speechless," she said, speaking to the crowd.
ELENA RYBAKINA IS AN AUSTRALIAN OPEN CHAMPION 🏆
— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) January 31, 2026
The No.5 seed defeats Aryna Sabalenka in an enthralling three-set encounter in Melbourne 👏 @wwos • @espn • @tntsports • @wowowtennis • #AO26 pic.twitter.com/iWAAHFZFHR
"Congrats to Elena for an incredible run and incredible tennis.
"Let's hope maybe next year will be a better year for me!"
Rybakina started the better of the two women, breaking Sabalenka in the opening game to set her on her way to winning the first set.
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Aryna Sabalenka was visibly upset after losing the final of the Australian Open
|GETTY
However, her rival responded by claiming the second in order to force a decider.
It looked as though Sabalenka would be able to stave off her rival when she secured a crucial break at the start of the third set.
But back-to-back breaks put Rybakina on her path to glory, with the tennis star serving a magnificent ace on match point in order to secure the trophy.
Rybakina, speaking after her win, showed class by praising Sabalenka.
"It's hard to find the words but I want to congratulate Aryna," she said.
Elena Rybakina was outstanding as she won the Australian Open for the first time
|GETTY
"She's had amazing results for a couple of years and I hope we're going to play many more finals together.
"I want to say thank you to you [the crowd] for an incredible atmosphere. Your support kept us going.
"Thank you everyone who made this tournament possible. It really is the 'Happy Slam', I always enjoy coming here and playing in front of you guys.
"I want to say thank you to my team - without you, it wouldn't be possible. We had a lot of things going on and I'm glad we achieved this result. Hopefully we can keep on going strong this year."