Elena Rybakina finally won her second Grand Slam title with a 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 victory over top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka at the Australian Open on Saturday, with the victory serving as something of a testament to quiet achievers.

After a bit of tumult at the start of the 2025 season, including the suspension of her coach, Rybakina wrapped up the season with a trophy at the WTA Finals in November. And now she has started the new year with a major championship.

Her low-key celebration was symbolic of the Kazakh's understated run through the tournament – a small fist pump, a quick embrace with Sabalenka, a handshake with the chair umpire, a smile, a few hand claps on the strings of her racquet and a wave to acknowledge the crowd.

That sequence happened quickly after Rybakina closed with an ace to cap a third-set comeback and polish off a three-set win over a regular rival who beat her in the final in the Land Down Under in 2023.

"The heart rate was definitely beating too fast. Even maybe (my) face didn't show, but inside it was a lot of emotions," the 26-year-old said of her calm and clinical finish.

She knew she had to capitalize quickly this time, after admitting to tightening up and needing almost half-an-hour from her first match point to her match-winning point against Jessica Pegula in the semifinals.

Three years ago, Rybakina took the first set of the title match at Melbourne Park, but eventually succumbed to Sabalenka in three.

After breaking in the first game and snatching the first set of this return engagement, she dropped the second and went down 3-0 in the third, before claiming five straight games to regain control.

"It gives me a kind of relief," she noted. "Also, a lot of confidence for sure for the rest of the season."

The triumph marked a second Grand Slam title for the fifth-seeded Rybakina, who won Wimbledon in 2022 and entered the Australian Open final three years ago as the only major winner in the contest.

While Sabalenka went on to top three more Grand Slams, including back-to-back victories in Melbourne to go along with 2024 and 2025 titles at the U.S. Open, Rybakina's results dipped and she didn't reach another major final until this tournament.

A win over Sabalenka at the season-ending WTA Finals seems to have changed her career trajectory. She has the most match wins on the Tour since Wimbledon and is now on a roll of 20 wins in 21 matches.

"Last year I didn't start so well," she said. "I qualified for the (WTA) Finals late. I just hope I can carry this momentum. Do a good job with the team and continue this way."

Rybakina is 10-0 in her last 10 matches against Top 10 players and she will return to World No. 3 in the updated rankings.