Aryna Sabalenka rolls to 2nd straight Australian Open title

MELBOURNE, Australia — World No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka produced a near-flawless performance to win her second consecutive Australian Open crown, beating China's Zheng Qinwen 6-3, 6-2 in the women's final SATURDAY.

Dominant from the start, the defending champion weaved her way through Zheng's service games three times, sealing victory in 1 hour and 16 minutes to become the first woman to appear consecutively in Melbourne since her compatriot Belarusian Victoria Azarenka in 2012 and 2013.

Sabalenka's second Grand Slam title caps a dominant fortnight, having won a perfect 14 of 14 sets and losing just 31 games throughout the run.

Zheng, 12th seed in Australia, was playing in his first Grand Slam final and appeared to be feeling the pressure of his first service game. Sabalenka broke for a 2-0 advantage and, although she appeared to give away the break right away, rallied to save three break chances and maintain an early 3-0 lead.

For the remainder of the first set, Sabalenka was relentless in her service games, winning all but one point on her first serves and not giving Zheng another break point.

The second set started in much the same way; Sabalenka broke in the first game thanks to three double faults from Zheng. This gave Sabalenka the advantage in the second set, which she quickly capitalized on to put the fight almost out of reach.

A protest briefly delayed the match as Zheng began to find rhythm on serve, but like the first set, it was too late.

Sabalenka broke again in the fifth game and, shortly after, served out the match – her fewest conceded five games in an Australian Open final since Azarenka conceded three in 2012.

Sabalenka said she was delighted with her level of play in the final and throughout the fortnight in Melbourne and relieved to have been able to show her Grand Slam title was no fluke.

“[Zheng is] a great player and a very tough opponent. I'm super happy that I was able to get this win today,” she said during her post-match press conference. “I wanted to show that I'm capable of constantly being there and that I am capable of winning another match. [Grand Slam]. I really hope that [I can win] more than two at the moment, but for me it was really important.

“I thought I didn't want to be that player who wins [one] then disappears.”

She said the experience of playing in more big matches – including last year's US Open final loss to Coco Gauff – had left her “emotionally ready” for a fast start which she did not expect. never give up.

“Compared to last year, it’s completely different for me,” Sabalenka said. “I'm more controlled and…I don't let the rest of the things come to my mind, and I just focus on myself.”

She cemented her reputation as one of the best hard-court players in the world; Of the 14 titles she has won, 12 have been on hard courts, including her two Grand Slam tournaments in Melbourne.

Despite her success on hard courts, Sabalenka said she continued to work to become an all-court player capable of consistently contending for major tournaments at Roland Garros and Wimbledon.

“I think last year I proved that I can play on all surfaces,” she said. “I definitely think if I continue to work like I'm doing right now, and if we continue to build what we're building right now, I'm definitely capable of doing the same thing on clay and on grass. “

Meanwhile, Zheng said her “slow” start led to her playing from behind early on, explaining that taking a break against Sabalenka made getting back into the match very difficult.

“I think the difference is just the beginning. I [couldn’t] Hold the service game,” Zheng said. “Then later when I had the chance to break his 40-year-old love and I'm not able to make it happen. This little moment makes the match so different. If you don't take this chance, the match [gets] away very quickly. She's a really aggressive player. If you miss a chance, it will happen like today. »

Zheng said she wasn't too nervous ahead of her first Grand Slam final, but admitted she needed to work on some things, including her mental strength in big moments.

“I need to work more on my tennis, work more on my mental side, work more on myself to be able to get through this moment,” she said. “Because if you lose, there has to be a reason why you lose, and we have to try to understand why and then come back stronger and better next time.”

With this victory, Sabalenka maintains her place as world No. 2, just behind world No. 1 Iga Swiatek, while Zheng rises to a career-high 7th place.