Sabalenka completes the perfect tournament at the Australian Open
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Aryna Sabalenka kept hold of her crown at the Australian Open after defeating Qinwen Zheng, 6-3, 6-2, in 76 minutes. She ended up winning the trophy without dropping a set.
The only trouble she encountered was trying to close the match. She missed two forehands and received a drop shot at 5-2 and 40-0. If she wanted to give a little more suspense and excitement to the outcome, she got it.
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The tennis player from Minsk imitates her compatriot Victoria Azarenka, the last to successfully defend the scepter of the first major in the 2012 and 2013 editions.
“Victory, the pride of Belarus.” So began President Alexander Lukashenko’s congratulatory letter to Azarenka after winning the first title.
“The Motherland thanks you for your great achievement, which will forever be inscribed in the history of Belarusian sport,” the politician continued. After 12 years, his other favorite sportswoman has made him proud.
Azarenka didn’t win any more majors, something that Sabalenka is keen to do given her performances. This was her second consecutive final after the one she lost at the US Open to Coco Gauff. If Iga Swiatek is the undisputed queen of the clay, the hard surface is engraved with the name of the Belarusian.
Qinwen’s dream of being the new Na Li will have to wait. She has time on her side because she is only 21 years and 109 days old and is already the seventh ranked player.
Sabalenka played with the pressure of being the favorite in terms of ranking and for being the reigning champion of the tournament. The start of the final was key to see how that would impact her.
The Belarusian showed no nerves, breaking her opponent’s serve from the start and quickly opening a 3-0 lead.
Zheng outmatched
Zheng noticed the difference between playing against a ‘Top 10’ player and playing against opponents down the rankings. The Chinese player took advantage of the path that had presented itself to get into the final. None of the players who had been on the other side of the bracket were among the top 50.
Sabalenka was untouchable on serve, hitting 188 kilometers per hour, and that gave her added confidence. In the last 20 years, only Serena Williams (2007) had completed a final without losing her serve. It was against Maria Sharapova.
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