Carlos Alcaraz added the final piece to an already remarkable résumé by winning his first Australian Open title and, in the process, becoming the youngest man in tennis history to complete the Career Grand Slam.

The 22-year-old Spaniard defeated Novak Djokovic 2-6, 6-2, 6-3, 7-5 to claim the title. He had previously won the other three majors, twice each, and the victory in Melbourne sealed a milestone few players reach across a career.

Alcaraz’s achievement rewrote a long-standing record. The previous mark dated to 1938, when Don Budge, a slightly older 22 at the time, completed his set at Roland Garros. That span of nearly nine decades underlines how rare it is for a player so young to secure every Grand Slam.

The final in Melbourne showcased a resilient Alcaraz who recovered after dropping the first set 2-6. He responded with consecutive set wins and closed the match in four, producing the only Australian Open title that had been missing from his collection.

Beyond the immediate headline, the result confirms what the tournament results already suggested: Alcaraz has established himself among the elite of the sport by mastering all four major championships. Completing the Career Grand Slam at 22 will be a defining record in his rapid rise.

The significance of the moment is clear when placed against the history of the game. Few players have collected each major even once, and doing so at such a young age places Alcaraz in rare company. The Australian Open victory completes a set of accomplishments that, until now, the record books credited to much earlier generations.

For Alcaraz, the win in Melbourne is both a major title and a historical landmark, the final major he needed to finish a career sweep of the Grand Slams.

Elena Rybakina’s comeback in the Australian Open final began with a two-word instruction from her coach, Stefano Vukov. “More energy.” The Croatian’s brief command arrived when Rybakina was serving at 0-3 in the third set against Aryna Sabalenka and, by the match’s end, looked decisive.

The Kazakh had started aggressively, breaking in the opening game and dictating play with pace and depth. But as the second set reached 4-4 she began to show nerves, glanced toward her camp and was broken at 4-5. Her slide continued into the third as Sabalenka pushed to a 3-0 lead with heavy hitting and backhand winners.

After Vukov’s words, Rybakina’s tennis shifted. She served an ace at 40-30, held, then broke back for 2-3 and began to reclaim initiative. She moved forward more, hit with greater intent and forced abrupt momentum swings in rallies. “I’m happy that being down, I was able to calm myself down, not being frustrated anymore, and just focus on each point,” she said of the turnaround.

There were two critical moments that might have halted Rybakina’s run. Serving at 2-3 she faced a break point but held when Sabalenka missed a crosscourt attempt. In the next game Sabalenka, serving at 3-3 and down 15-40, saved one break with a service winner but then sent a forehand into the net on the next chance. Sabalenka finally showed visible frustration and slammed her racquet.

At 4-3 Rybakina held with a service winner. Serving for the title at 5-4 she produced a service winner at 30-30 and then an ace to seal the championship. “It’s incredible achievement,” Rybakina said of her second major title. “Super happy and proud. It was really tough battle. I didn’t expect to turn it around. Got some opportunities.”

Sabalenka reflected on the match with mixed feeling. On the one hand she joked that her coaches were trying “to avoid and escape me because they see that it’s not really healthy to be around me right now.” On the other, she said, “I don’t know if I have any regrets. Maybe I should have tried to be more aggressive on my serve, knowing that I have a break and put pressure on her, but she played incredible.”

Rybakina will return to a career-high No. 3 and is within striking distance of overtaking Iga Swiatek for No. 2 during February’s Middle East swing. “I have big goals,” says Rybakina, who will move up to No. 3 on Monday. “I’m going to keep on working. Let’s see what’s going to happen.”

Elena Rybakina added the Australian Open title to her 2022 Wimbledon trophy on Saturday, completing a run that required victories over the two highest-ranked players on the WTA list. The Kazakh eliminated No. 2 Iga Swiatek in the quarterfinals, 7-5, 6-1, and then defeated No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka in the final, 6-4, 4-6, 6-4.

By overcoming both the No. 2 and No. 1 players at Melbourne, Rybakina became the fourth woman to beat the top two-ranked opponents en route to an Australian Open title since official WTA rankings began in 1975. That short list of predecessors includes Jennifer Capriati, Serena Williams and Madison Keys.

Capriati was the first to accomplish the feat in 2001, when she beat world No. 2 Lindsay Davenport in the semifinals, 6-3, 6-4, and world No. 1 Martina Hingis in the final, 6-4, 6-3. Capriati was on hand in Rod Laver Arena on Saturday night to present Rybakina with the Daphne Akhurst Memorial Cup.

Serena Williams became the second woman to do it in 2005, defeating No. 2 Amelie Mauresmo in the quarterfinals, 6-2, 6-2, before rallying past No. 1 Lindsay Davenport in the final, 2-6, 6-3, 6-0. Madison Keys joined the group in 2025, saving match point to beat No. 2 Iga Swiatek in the semifinals, 5-7, 6-1, 7-6 (8), and then edging No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka for the title, 6-3, 2-6, 7-5.

Rybakina is the 11th woman to defeat both the No. 1 and No. 2 players at any Grand Slam since the WTA rankings began, and she is just the second to do so in the past 17 years, following Keys a year ago. Her Melbourne victory stands as the second major title of her career.