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Following two ‌years of triumph at the Australian Open, Aryna Sabalenka is now processing another two years of ‍pain – and a series of missed chances in Melbourne that have left her “really upset”.

A year on from ‍losing the final in three sets to American Madison Keys, Sabalenka fell 6-4 4-6 6-4 to Elena Rybakina on Saturday, the Russia-born Kazakh turning the tables on the Belarusian who beat her for the 2023 title.

“I was really upset with myself, I would say, because once again I had opportunities,” Sabalenka said.

“I played great until a certain point, and then I couldn’t resist that aggression that she had on court.”

While the Keys shock left Sabalenka inconsolable and ⁠her racket in pieces, defeat to fifth seed Rybakina had its own unique sting.

The world number one ​held a 3-0 lead in the third set and had all the running before ‍former Wimbledon champion Rybakina broke back in the fifth game and stormed to her second Grand Slam trophy.

“She made some winners. I made a couple of unforced errors,” Sabalenka continued.

“Of course, I have regrets. You know, when ‍you lead 3-0 and ⁠then it felt like in a few seconds it was 3-4 and I was down with a break. So it was very fast.

“Great tennis from her. Maybe not so smart for me but, as I say, today I’m a loser, maybe tomorrow I’m a winner, maybe again a loser. Hopefully not. We’ll see.”

It was Sabalenka’s second significant loss to Rybakina in a few months, having been beaten for the season-ending WTA Finals crown.

More alarmingly, it ​was her third loss in her last four major finals, with Coco Gauff ‌flooring her at last year’s French Open.

Sabalenka did not lose a set coming into the Melbourne final and had won 46 of her 48 previous matches at hardcourt Grand Slams.

Now Rybakina, one of the few players able to match her ‌for power, has dealt Sabalenka’s aura a heavy blow.

Sabalenka laughed ruefully and shrugged through her post-match news conference but was honest enough to admit ‌she had been despondent outside the room.

On court, she draped a ⁠white towel over her head to conceal her anguish before gathering herself to deliver gracious congratulations to Rybakina, her most frequent opponent on tour.

She consoled herself that, barring a few errors in the final set, Rybakina had simply wrested the trophy from ‌her grip with the quality of her tennis.

“Even in this final, I feel like I played great. I was fighting. I did my best, and today she was a better player,” said Sabalenka.

Madison Square Garden says anyone fighting at the arena threatens to be “banned for life” after there were multiple altercations at one of its events.

Video on TMZ.com showed two fights breaking out on Friday, when fighters weighed in for the boxing card Saturday night headlined by Teofimo Lopez and Shakur Stevenson. One of the videos showed a brawl starting as Bill Haney, father of boxer Devin Haney, was conducting an interview near the stage.

“Violence will not be condoned at MSG across any type of event including, hockey, basketball, boxing, concerts, or special events,” Madison Square Garden said in a statement. “If any individual is found to participate in violent activity, whether you are part of the event, or a patron, you will be banned for life and unable to attend or participate in any event across all our venues.”

The news conference Thursday for the title fight between Lopez and Stevenson became heated as the fighters on stage traded insults about family members, with people in the audience also shouting.

There was also an altercation near the cage on November 15, when MSG hosted UFC 322.

Elena Rybakina produced a thunderous display to dismantle ‍Aryna Sabalenka ‍6-4 4-6 6-4 on Saturday and capture a maiden Australian Open title, turning the tables on the world number one in their Melbourne Park final rematch ⁠from three years ago.

Rybakina returned to the site of her heartbreak in 2023 to complete an impressive victory and earn her second major trophy after Wimbledon 2022, underlining her credentials as the player best equipped to puncture Sabalenka’s hardcourt aura.

The 26-year-old Kazakh capped ⁠a fortnight of relentless efficiency while largely flying under the radar, adding the Daphne Akhurst Memorial Cup to a resume that ​also includes the 2025 WTA Finals crown, where she downed Sabalenka.

“It’s hard to find words now but ‍I want to congratulate Aryna for her amazing results in the last couple of years. I hope we’re going to play many more finals together,” Rybakina said.

“I want to say thank you to you guys (fans). Thank you so much to Kazakhstan. I felt the support from that ‍corner a lot. It’s ⁠really a Happy Slam and I always enjoy coming here and playing in front of you guys.”

In the first Grand Slam final since ​2008 featuring players yet to drop a set, it ‍was top seed Sabalenka who blinked first under the Rod Laver Arena roof as Rybakina came out all guns blazing to break in ‍the opening ⁠game and wrest control.

The fifth seed’s huge ball-striking caused all sorts of problems for twice champion Sabalenka, as she comfortably got to set point in the 10th game and finished it off to send alarm bells ringing in her opponent’s dugout.

Having arrived with 46 ​hardcourt Grand Slam match wins from the ‌last 48, four-time major winner Sabalenka found her groove and started the second set more positively, but Rybakina saved three breakpoints to hold for 1-1.

A ‌wayward forehand from Rybakina handed Sabalenka the chance to level at one set apiece, ‌and the Belarusian gleefully took it ⁠to turn the final set into a shootout destined to be decided by whichever player held their nerves.

Having beaten Rybakina from a similar situation in the 2023 title clash, Sabalenka unleashed a flurry of winners to ‌go ahead 3-0, but the Kazakh erased the deficit and broke for ⁠4-3 before securing victory to add to her All England club triumph.

The knockout blow was a huge ace, after which the typically restrained Rybakina walked forward, smiled and pumped her fist before celebrating with her team.

Sabalenka, denied an Australian Open “three-peat” by American outsider Madison Keys in last year’s final, endured heartbreak again ‌as she retreated to her chair and draped a white towel over her head to conceal her anguish.

“I’m really speechless right now,” she said, before turning to her victorious opponent and the fans.