Aryna Sabalenka has continued her dominance at the Australian Open after reaching another final.

Sabalenka is a two-time Australian Open champion, and was bidding to win her third title in Melbourne this year.

After beating Elina Svitolina in straight sets, Sabalenka has made history by reaching the Australian Open final once again.

Sabalenka will face a tough test against Elena Rybakina in the final, but she is not one of the six players who have beaten the world number one at the Australian Open.

Aryna Sabalenka has lost to six players at the Australian Open in her career

1. Ash Barty (2018)

Sabalenka made her first main draw appearance at the Australian Open in 2018, when she was just 19 years old.

When making her debut in Melbourne, Sabalenka would take on Australia’s number one hope in 18th seed Ash Barty in her first round match.

Despite winning the first set of this match, Sabalenka would eventually be beaten by Barty, 6(2)-7 6-4 6-4.

This was Sabalenka’s first taste of defeat at the Australian Open, but she would perform better in Melbourne the subsequent year.

2. Amanda Anisimova (2019)

Just one year later, Sabalenka had shot up the WTA rankings to become the 11th seed at the 2019 Australian Open.

After winning her first two matches at the Australian Open, Sabalenka would play then 17-year-old Amanda Anisimova.

This was a first-time meeting between the two players, with Sabalenka being stunned by the American teenager.

Sabalenka continued to struggle in her rivalry against Anisimova, but beat her in their biggest match so far in the US Open final last year.

3. Carla Suarez Navarro (2020)

Sabalenka was the 11th seed at the Australian Open once again in 2020, but had only reached the second week of one Grand Slam tournament at this point.

As she looked to make a deep run in Melbourne for the first time, Sabalenka would be handed a tricky first round draw against former top 10 player Carla Suarez Navarro.

Despite being up a break in the first set and having a set point in the second, Sabalenka was beaten in straight sets by Navarro.

This is the last time that Sabalenka lost in the first round of a Grand Slam tournament.

4. Serena Williams (2021)

Sabalenka came into the 2021 Australian Open with an even higher profile as the eighth seed, meaning that she would have been forecasted to reach the quarterfinals for the first time.

The Belarusian looked to be well on track to achieving this after winning all three of her first matches in straight sets.

This sent her into the fourth round of the Australian Open for the first time, where she was faced with playing seven-time champion Serena Williams for the first time.

In the only match they ever played against each other, Williams beat Sabalenka, 6-4 2-6 6-4.

There is now a chance that this match could happen again, with Sabalenka commenting on speculation about Williams returning to tennis.

5. Kaia Kanepi (2022)

After losing in the fourth round of the Australian Open in 2021, Sabalenka would go on to reach her first Grand Slam semifinals at Wimbledon and the US Open.

This meant that Sabalenka was the second seed for the 2022 Australian Open and one of the favorites for the title.

However, Sabalenka was having many struggles with her serve coming into the tournament, which included hitting 21 double faults in one match at the Adelaide International.

These serving woes continued at the Australian Open, but Sabalenka was still able to reach the fourth round.

This is where she would play 36-year-old Kaia Kanepi, who was the world number 115 at the time.

Despite being ranked 113 places higher than her opponent, Sabalenka was beaten in three sets by Kanepi, in a match where she hit 15 double faults.

Kanepi would never win another match at the Australian Open, losing in the first round of the 2023 tournament and she has not played a tennis match since 2024, with many assuming the Estonian to be retired.

6. Madison Keys (2025)

Following her disappointing defeat to Kanepi, Sabalenka would win her next 20 consecutive matches at the Australian Open.

This would see Sabalenka win two Australian Open titles, and she was looking to make history in 2025 by becoming the first woman since Martina Hingis in 1999 to win three consecutive titles in Melbourne.

However, that was not meant to be for Sabalenka, who was beaten in a thrilling final by Madison Keys.

This was Sabalenka’s sixth and most recent defeat at the Australian Open, and she will be hoping to avoid the same happening in the 2026 final.

Sabalenka has beaten Rybakina in an Australian Open final before, and she will be hoping to do the same when they take to Rod Laver Arena on Saturday, January 31.