Former two-time Grand Slam champion Yevgeny Kafelnikov thought that Aryna Sabalenka "relaxed" and ultimately "gave away" the Australian Open final to Elena Rybakina.
With Rybakina up by a set but Sabalenka leading 5-4 in the second set, the Belarusian got her first break of the match to send the match into a third set. After winning the last two games of the second set, the world No. 1 extended her run to five consecutive games and also went 3-0 up in the decider.
At that point, it looked like Sabalenka had completely broken through Rybakina. But then, another twist happened after the Kazakh responded with a stunning five-game winning run to overturn the deficit and open a 5-3 third-set lead before serving out for a 6-4 4-6 6-4 win in the 10th game.
Sharing his thoughts on how the Australian Open women's final unfolded, 2000 Sydney Olympics gold medalist admitted that he was left very surprised about what happened to Sabalenka in the third game. However, the Russian tennis legend also noted that he wasn't taking anything away from Rybakina, who "deserved to win" in his opinion.
Kafelnikov: Sabalenka gave that match away herself
“In reality, Sabalenka gave that match away herself. She basically did everything possible to turn the match in her favor, breaking serve at 5–4 in the second set. At that point, the match was almost hers, but credit has to be given to Rybakina," the former ATP world No. 1 told First&Red.
"It seems to me that in that situation – I don’t know whether the coach said this or not – she probably thought, ‘Well, I should just play for enjoyment,’ and she relaxed. Because, in my view, at a certain moment she started believing she could win, and that was especially noticeable throughout the second set. And then, somehow, she became a bit tight.
"And when the score became 3–0, I honestly thought Aryna would see the match through to a logical conclusion in her favor. But at that moment, it seems Lena simply relaxed and started playing the tennis she had shown throughout the entire first set. So while it wasn’t completely one-sided, I believe it was an absolutely deserved win for Rybakina."
In the fourth game of the third set, coach Stefano Vukov was picked up by the on-court microphones telling Rybakina to "put more energy" into her shots. The Kazakh immediately responded with an ace and Vukov received credit for coming up with what turned out to be the key advice.
Sabalenka stayed on four Grand Slam titles, while Rybakina now has two.
