As it happened: Sabalenka beats Rybakina in epic women’s final; Hijikata and Kubler provide Aussie joy with men’s doubles title

So there we have it. An unforgettable night at Melbourne Park comes to an end.

The evening kicked off with the women’s final which ended up being an absolute classic.

Both Rybakina and Sabalenka were absolutely brilliant, but there could only be one winner, and that was Sabalenka who triumphed in three sets 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 after two hours and 28 minutes.

It was an extra special victory for Sabalenka who broke through for her maiden grand slam title after making it to the semi-final stage on three other occasions.

But the action didn’t stop there, because Aussie duo Hijikata and Kubler capped off the night by becoming men’s doubles champions with a straight-sets win over Monaco’s Hugo Nys and Poland’s Jan Zielinski 6-4, 7-6 (7-4) in 83 minutes.

Hijikata and Kubler followed in the footsteps of Kyrgios and Kokkinakis last year to make it back-to-back Australian titles in the men’s doubles.

Thanks for tuning into our blog tonight, make sure you join us tomorrow for the Australian Open’s crescendo when Novak Djokovic and Stefans Tsitsipas do battle in the men’s final.

Kubler and Hijikata address the crowd after accepting their trophy from the legendary Bryan brothers.

What a performance by Hijikata and Kubler. They had never played together prior to this tournament and earned a wildcard into the event.

But here they are now, Australian Open men’s doubles champions for 2023 - incredible stuff.

Despite Nys and Zielinski more than doubling them for aces (10-4), the Aussies had a better percentage of first serves that went in (72-62) and also won a greater percentage of points on first serve (88-82) and second serve (65-50).

The Monacan and the Pole actually combined for more winners (22-19), but they also committed more unforced errors (3-1) as the Aussies ended up winning more points (68-55).

Hijikata and Kubler also brought up the sole break point of the entire match, which they converted in the third game.

Zielinski’s forehand from the baseline goes into the net which gives the Aussies two championship points at 6-4.

And a rollercoaster 13-shot rally ends with Zielinski hitting it wide.

Hijikata and Kubler win the 2023 Australian Open men’s doubles final 6-4, 7-6 (7-4) in one hour and 23 minutes.

They make it back-to-back titles for Australia after Kyrgios and Kokkinakis triumphed last year.

But the Aussies fail to extend their advantage as Hijikata’s shot from the net goes long.

They have a 4-3 lead, but the tiebreaker goes back on serve.

Hijikata and Kubler get the mini break and head into the sixth point with a 3-2 lead.