The title defense began two weeks ago, with Aryna Sabalenka ready. Her shot-making is deadly, and she showed emotional maturity by shrugging off the pressure of defending her first grand slam championship after a great year and focusing on the next point.
Aryna Sabalenka performed better than her opponents, but a major final required calmness. She destroyed Zheng Qinwen 6-3, 6-2 to win her second grand slam.
A breakout year at the top makes her sophomore letdown unlikely. Sabalenka became the second woman in the Open Era to win her first two slam titles at the Australian Open, after Victoria Azarenka in 2012 and 2013.
“I’ve been under a little pressure these two weeks, and I’m super happy that I was able to handle it and compete so well,” she said. “It’s a special feeling and hard to describe how amazing.”
This time, only Coco Gauff, who lost 7-6 (4), 6-4 in the semis, won more than three games. The only Australian Open winner to concede fewer games this century is Ash Barty, with 31.
Most importantly, Sabalenka keeps winning awards. He plays attacking tennis but is consistent on all surfaces and situations at 25. Sabalenka has two titles, a final, and three semi-finals in six majors.
Many of Sabalenka’s deep-slam bids last year ended in mental collapse. Her calmness today may set the tone for the year after defeating several of her greatest opponents. She learned a lot by losing to Gauff in the US Open final after leading a set.
“I’m definitely a different person and a player,” she said. I had more grand slam final experience and experienced a heartbreaking US Open moment. I suffered after losing the final.
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That setback pushed me to work harder and improve my technique, so next time I play in the final, I’ll be more confident and believe in myself.”
Palestinian solidarity protesters halted the match. Two protesters hoisted a Palestine flag and screamed “Free Gaza” before being removed by security at 6-3, 2-0 to Sabalenka. We had three protests this year.
The early stages proved why the Australian Open is called the Asia-Pacific Grand Slam. Large groups of Chinese fans in Rod Laver Arena chanted “jiayou” (roughly translated as “C’mon”) from the outset, backing Zheng. They would have little to brag about.
Aryna Sabalenka is fierce in battle but calm outdoors. She signed her autograph on her bald fitness coach Jason Stacy’s head and roundhouse-kicked a beverage bottle on his head to forget the final.
Since her crew kept the tone light, she approached the court relaxed. Sabalenka broke the serve and led 3-0 with strong shots.
Sabalenka’s strength, depth, and precision defeated Zheng, who prefers slower conditions to build up her strokes, in the first set. After never challenging Sabalenka’s serve, Zheng served well.
Zheng reached her first grand slam final without defeating a top-50 player after the top seeds were eliminated. Nothing prepared her for Sabalenka’s pressure, and she felt overwhelmed, forcing her to scramble defensively in rallies.
Zheng surrendered the break with three double-faults in the first game of the second set, despite her solid serve in the second part of the first. Sabalenka relaxed and opened up her shoulders, becoming one of her era’s greatest with each crushing, bludgeoned shot.
It was corrected on January 27, 2024, to say Zheng reached the final without beating a top 50 player, not a top 70 player.
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