Kazakhstan’s top-ranked tennis player Elena Rybakina (World No. 5) defeated Belgium’s Elise Mertens (21) with 6-1, 6-3 to advance to the quarterfinals of the Australian Open 2026. The possible opponent in the stage is the world’s second-ranked player, Poland’s Iga Świątek.
Mertens’s head-to-head record against Rybakina (1-6) did not bode well for the Belgian, and the match confirmed that. The first set was nearly a bagel, with Rybakina dropping just one game.
In the second set, Mertens tried to fight back, but Rybakina overpowered her with aces (10-3) and precise baseline shots. Rybakina sealed the match in 1 hour 17 minutes on her first match point, 6-1, 6-3.
Rybakina will likely face Iga Świątek in the quarterfinals. Świątek leads their head-to-heads and must first defeat Australian qualifier Maddison Inglis (168).
As of Jan. 26, 2026, five Kazakhstan representatives ended their singles runs in the tournament — Dmitry Popko, Zarina Diyas, Yulia Putintseva, Alexander Bublik and Alexander Shevchenko.
Along with Rybakina, Anna Danilina continues her run in Melbourne in doubles and mixed doubles.
