Over the past year, Aryna Sabalenka has been steadily solidifying her position as one of the top players in her sport. Through mastering her impressive strength, the athlete from Belarus has now balanced out her skills with unwavering consistency. However, even with her considerable progress, she still struggled with nerves during important games.
The current title holder stepped onto Rod Laver Arena to face Coco Gauff with a clear understanding of the potential for things to go awry, as they did in their previous US Open final just four months ago. However, this time, Sabalenka maintained composure throughout a high-stakes and skillful match, showcasing the caliber of two champions. Ultimately, she outperformed the fourth seed 7-6 (2), 6-4, securing her spot in the Australian Open final.
Sabalenka, the second seed, is set to face Zheng Qinwen of China in the final. Zheng Qinwen, the 12th seed and a highly talented young player on the tour, defeated Dayana Yastremska 6-4, 6-4 on Thursday night to advance to her first grand slam final. This will be an intense and challenging match for Sabalenka.
A year has passed since Sabalenka’s big win in the grand slam, and she has used that victory as a stepping stone to even more achievements. With six consecutive semi-final appearances in major tournaments, she is now heading to her third final in the last five. At 25 years old, she aims to be the first player since her fellow Belarusian, Victoria Azarenka, in 2013 to successfully defend her Australian Open title. So far, she has not lost a single set.
Sabalenka acknowledged the difficulty of defending a major title for the first time, but remained positive by stating that even in the worst case scenario, she would only have to surrender it the following year without any pressure to defend. She emphasized the importance of shifting her focus and expressed satisfaction with her current approach. With one more title to defend, she is determined to do her best.
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In the Asia-Pacific grand slam, Zheng becomes the second Chinese player to make it to the final. At only 21 years old, she looks up to her role model, Li Na, who won her second grand slam at the Australian Open a decade ago. Zheng expressed her excitement and disbelief at her excellent performance today, leading her to the final round.
In New York four months ago, Gauff showcased impressive defensive skills to defeat Sabalenka and claim her inaugural grand slam championship. Sabalenka struggled to overcome Gauff’s superior court coverage and ultimately lost confidence as she attempted to break through Gauff’s defense.
There was a rematch between the top players from the US Open in 2011 at the Australian Open, marking the first time since then. The match featured the strongest offensive and defensive players in the world, and Sabalenka quickly took the lead. She dominated most of the baseline points, serving exceptionally with only two missed first serves in the first eight games. Her aggressive and controlled playing style was destructive.
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During the match at 5-3 and 30-15, Sabalenka struggled as Gauff handled the pressure and counterattacked effectively. Despite missing only two first serves, Sabalenka’s performance visibly faltered. However, Gauff’s forehand, which is typically a weakness in important matches, held strong and she was able to deliver powerful serves when necessary. After falling behind 3-5, Gauff served for the set at 6-5 but her forehand began to make mistakes. Sabalenka managed to rally and assert her dominance at the baseline, winning the set with a remarkable tie-break performance.
Following the tumultuous and dramatic first set, both competitors displayed a strong level of play in the second. Despite facing pressure, both managed to maintain their serves and exhibit confident swings. Gauff put up a formidable fight against Sabalenka, but ultimately it was the No 2 seed’s exceptional return game at 4-4 that sealed the victory in an intense match.
Sabalenka described the match as amazing and acknowledged her opponent as a formidable player, with whom she always has intense battles. She believes that the key to her victory was maintaining focus and determination, regardless of the score. She continued to give her best effort and fight until the end.
After the loss, Gauff looked back on her most recent major tournament as a teenager and felt content. She has followed up her impressive performance at the US Open by starting another strong run. We can expect more from her in the future.
Gauff stated that there were many good things to take away from the match. She didn’t think she played poorly, but there were some key points that she didn’t win. Overall, she preferred this match over her previous one. Despite the tough result, she is focusing on the positives.
Source: theguardian.com
