Aryn Sabalenka Successfully Defends The Australian Open Title
Aryna Sabalenka cruises her way through to win her second Australian Open title in Melbourne this year. The defending champion did not drop a set en-route to her second Grand Slam title. She is also the only female player since Victoria Azarenka in 2013 to win back-to-back titles at the event.
The now two-time Grand Slam champion played great in the finals against no. 12 seed Zheng Qinwen, winning 6-3, 6-2 in just 76 minutes. Sabalenka was dominant from the baseline and the Chinese was just not able to stay with her at any point in the match. However, a fantastic achievement by Zheng as she reaches a career high ranking of 7 and becomes the first Chinese player since Li Na to play in a Grand Slam singles finals.
In this tournament, we witnessed Aryna Sabelenka’s much calmer demeanour on court, proving the work she and her team put in to improve her mental strength. She is now different than she was two years ago. She was heavily tested by Coco Gauff in the semi-finals and had to defend several breakpoints. However, Sabalenka remained calm and came through the match in straight sets to have a chance at defending her title. Ultimately, she pulled through without a hitch as she won her second major title.