Aryna Sabalenka battles back to beat Elena Rybakina and win maiden grand slam at Australian Open

Aryna Sabalenka fought back from a set down to defeat Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina and claim her first grand slam title in a terrific Australian Open final.

In a battle of two of the biggest hitters in the women's game, Belarusian Sabalenka seized the initiative after dropping the opening set to win 4-6 6-3 6-4 and thus becomes the first singles player to win a slam under a neutral flag.

The 24-year-old could not bring herself to watch Rybakina claim the title at the All England Club, so disappointed was she at being banned from competing because of Belarus' role in supporting the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

But Sabalenka, fuelled by a remodelled serve and a commitment to keeping her emotions in check, has been a woman on a mission all fortnight.

One sloppy service game cost her the opening set but Sabalenka did not lose belief or take a step back and Rybakina could not resist the powerful hitting of her opponent.

The final game was full of tension but Sabalenka made it across the line on her fourth opportunity before falling to the court in delight.

Remarkably, this was the seventh successive grand slam match she has won having lost the opening set.

There were a disappointing number of empty seats on Laver for the match, a far cry from 12 months ago, when Ashleigh Barty gave Australia a long-awaited home champion.

One of the biggest cheers of the night was for the 26-year-old as she carried the Daphne Akhurst Memorial Cup onto court prior to the start of the match.

First blood in the battle to succeed her went to Rybakina, who broke Sabalenka from 40-0 in the third game.

The Belarusian breached the semi-final barrier at the fourth time of asking and came into the match having not dropped a set in 10 matches this year, and