With this title, Sabalenka (24) will regain second place in the world on Monday, the best ranking of her career.
Rybakina, 23 and Wimbledon champion last year without WTA points distributed, will climb to 10th in the world, also her best ranking.
Sabalenka played a very risky game that took a while to set up, but ended up paying on her fourth match point in a game where Rybakina had a chance to redo her late break.
Once Rybakina's final ball bounced out of bounds, Sabalenka lay crying alone on the court.
When she got up, Rybakina was already there to take her in his arms.
Belarusian Aryna Sabalenka, winner of the Australian Open, January 28, 2023 © MANAN VATSYAYANA / AFP
Belarus remained on three knockout stages in Melbourne in the last three editions.
She had already played three Grand Slam semi-finals (Wimbledon 2021, US Open 2021 and 2022) without ever reaching the final.
But she had already played and won a final at the Australian Open, in 2021 in doubles, associated with the Belgian Elise Mertens.
For his part, Rybakina had never passed the third round in three appearances so far at the Australian Major.
She had reached her best ranking in January 2022 at 12th in the world.
His victory last year at Wimbledon had brought him no points: the WTA and the ATP had decided to deprive the Major on grass of ranking points for his refusal to accept Russian and Belarusian players in retaliation for the war in Ukraine.
© 2023 AFP