Australian Open 2026 Women's Final Bracket, TV Schedule, Start Time and Live Stream

Aryna Sabalenka and Elena Rybakina will meet in the Australian Open women's singles final for the second time in four years on Saturday.

Sabalenka is the ruler of the hard-court majors on the women's side. She's appeared in the last seven Australian and U.S. Open finals.

Rybakina is back in a Grand Slam final for the first time since her three-set loss to Sabalenka in Melbourne in 2023. She won Wimbledon in 2022 in her other Grand Slam final appearance.

Australian Open Women's Singles Final Info

Date: Saturday, January 31

Start Time: 3:30 a.m. ET

TV: ESPN

Live Stream: ESPN app or ESPN.com

Preview

Sabalenka is the unquestioned favorite in the matchup with Rybakina.

In fact, it would be hard to see Sabalenka as anything other than the favorite in any potential final matchup.

Sabalenka's been that good on hard courts since the start of the 2023 season. That run began with a three-set win over Rybakina to capture the 2023 Australian Open crown.

Since then, Sabalenka won another Australian Open and two U.S. Opens and was the runner-up once at each event.

The No. 1 seed rarely looked in trouble this year in Melbourne with six straight-set victories. Twenty-four of Sabalenka's 26 victories down under since 2023 have come in two sets.

Sabalenka only lost eight games over the last two rounds against first-time Grand Slam quarterfinalist Iva Jovic and Elina Svitolina.

Rybakina faced a far more difficult path to Saturday's final. She took down No. 2 seed Iga Swiatek in the quarterfinals and then eliminated No. 6 seed Jessica Pegula in the semifinals.

The No. 5 seed challenged Sabalenka when they met four years ago in the final. She won the first set before Sabalenka rallied to win the next two sets and the title.

The key against Sabalenka is to force her to three sets in a Grand Slam final. After the win over Rybakina, Sabalenka lost three straight Grand Slam finals in three sets, including the 2025 Australian Open final against Madison Keys.

Rybakina is 6-8 against Sabalenka in her career. Two of those victories occurred on hard courts in 2025.

Sabalenka is 2-0 in the head-to-head matchup at Grand Slams, and with her record in Australia, it's hard not to pick her to win.

If there is a player that can push Sabalenka, though, it is Rybakina given her form and the success she's had in their head-to-head matchup.