Elena Rybakina reveals how Aryna Sabalenka matches help ‘improve’ her game
Elena Rybakina has claimed that matches against Aryna Sabalenka and other leading WTA Tour players have helped “improve” her game, opening up about her rivalry against the world No 1.
World No 2 Rybakina and Sabalenka have already met twice in 2026, with the pair contesting high-quality finals at the Australian Open and in Indian Wells across the opening months of the season.
It was Rybakina who prevailed when the two met at the Australian Open in January, with the Kazakh prevailing 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 to lift her second Grand Slam singles titles in Melbourne.
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However, Sabalenka turned the tables when the two met in Indian Wells earlier in March, saving a championship point to defeat Rybakina 3-6, 6-3, 7-6(6) in one of the best matches of the 2026 season so far.
Despite defeat in the final, Rybakina rose to a career high of world No 2 in the WTA Rankings for the first time last Monday, with her and Sabalenka now the top-ranked women on tour.
The pair have met six times since June 2025 and have split those meetings equally with three wins apiece, with Sabalenka holding a narrow 9-7 overall lead in their head-to-head.
The rivalry between the Belarusian and Rybakina is arguably the best the women’s game has to offer right now, and the Kazakh has taken plenty from her meetings against the four-time Grand Slam singles champion.
Speaking on Tennis Channel this week during her Miami Open campaign, the Kazakh revealed how she had used her matches against Sabalenka to make key adjustments in her own game.
Rybakina said: “Well, I feel we push each other, each time we play to the limits, and this is how we actually improve also.
“Not only with Aryna, but with all the top players, I feel that there is tough matches that get you to actually think more of what you need to improve, what you need to do better.
“Of course, with Aryna, it’s always tough battles. We’re both big hitters, with the big serves, and I feel like I played really well, especially in the first set in Indian Wells, and then my physical level dropped a little bit, and it was a pity to lose in the third set. We were battling for each point; it was very close.
“So, yeah, but overall I’m happy, the way I’m playing right now and yes, as I say, always say, hopefully I can continue, and the most important thing is to be healthy.”
Both Rybakina and Sabalenka are in action at the WTA 1000 event in Miami this week, and with the draw made before the Kazakh’s move up the WTA Rankings, both women are on the same side of the draw.
The world No 1 and world No 2 will both be in action on Monday, with the pair looking to reach the quarter-final.
World No 1 Sabalenka faces 23rd seed Zheng Qinwen in the fourth round, while Rybakina faces in-form qualifier Talia Gibson later in the evening.
Should both Sabalenka and Rybakina win their next two matches, they would meet in the semi-final.
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