Jan 29, 2026, 07:35 AM ET

Elena Rybakina set up a rematch of the 2023 Australian Open final after the No. 5 seed ousted No. 6 Jessica Pegula 6-3, 7-6 (7) in the second semifinal that was mostly one way until Rybakina had match point.

Rybakina missed three match points on Pegula’s serve and then was broken twice while serving for the match.

In the tiebreaker, Pegula had two set points but wasn’t able to convert, and Rybakina finally clinched the win 29 minutes after her first match point.

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“Really, really stressful,” Rybakina said, saying she had flashbacks from the 2024 Australian Open when she lost the longest women’s tiebreaker ever at a Grand Slam to Anna Blinkova 22-20 in a three-set defeat.

“I’m proud no matter the situation. It got very tight. I stayed there,” Rybakina said of the win over Pegula. “I was fighting for each point.”

For Pegula, it became a matter of swing or miss out.

“Sometimes when you’re on the brink of losing everything, you get a little clarity because you’re kind of just like, ‘Screw it, I’m just going to try and stay in this,'” she said. “I played a couple of really good points to save the match points, and you know, she missed a couple short balls … a couple free points to take some pressure off.”

Rybakina will face top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka for the title. Sabalenka overpowered Elina Svitolina 6-2, 6-3 to move within one victory of a third Australian Open title in four years.

Sabalenka’s first Australian Open title was a comeback victory over Rybakina, with the Belarusian prevailing 4-6, 6-3, 6-4.

“It was a great battle,” Rybakina said of the 2023 final. “In the end, she played a bit better and it was well deserved. I want to enjoy the final, and hopefully I can serve better than today.”

She said she learned a lot from that match. Rybakina is also coming off a win over Sabalenka in the deciding match of the WTA Finals in November, when she picked up a record $5.2 million in prize money.

“I could take only positive from that week,” she said. “This is what I’m trying to do … remembering some good stuff from this WTA Final.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.