Aryna Sabalenka defeats Zheng Qinwen to win back-to-back Australian Open titles

Behind her thoughts Aryna Sabalenka did not need to be, in her phrases, that participant who wins a serious title and disappears.

Successful her first Grand Slam crown in Australia a 12 months in the past gave Sabalenka the arrogance she may do it once more. Shedding the U.S. Open closing final September gave her the additional motivation.

Sabalenka ensured she wasn’t a one-hit marvel by clinching back-to-back Australian Open titles with a 6-3, 6-2 win over Zheng Qinwen on Saturday in a one-sided ladies’s closing that contrasted sharply along with her comeback three-set victory right here over Elena Rybakina final 12 months.

“I simply needed to point out that I can be persistently there and I can win one other one,” she mentioned. “So in comparison with final 12 months, it is a fully completely different me. In comparison with the U.S. Open, as soon as once more, it is a completely different me; I am extra managed and form of like do not let the remainder of the issues come to my thoughts.”

In 2022, Sabalenka struggled so badly along with her serve in tense moments that she doubted she may win a serious. Now she’s counting on it to interrupt down opponents. She did not serve a double-fault within the closing, and he or she did not face a break level.

No. 2-seeded Sabalenka set the tone with massive, deep forehands and transformed service breaks early in every set towards the 21-year-old Zheng, who was making her debut in a Grand Slam closing.

The journey and the vacation spot had been equally essential for Sabalenka.

Within the semifinals, she avenged her U.S. Open closing loss to No. 4-ranked Coco Gauff with a straight-set win. That adopted straight-sets wins over 2021 French Open winner Barbora Krejcikova within the quarterfinals and Amanda Anisimova within the fourth spherical.

“I am positively a special individual and a participant and I’ve extra expertise taking part in the final levels of the Grand Slams,” Sabalenka mentioned, reflecting on the final 13 months. “There was some robust moments for me dropping the U.S. Open closing – that loss really motivated me a lot to work even tougher.”

And that, she mentioned, gave her extra confidence in her sport and extra self-belief.

“The primary one is at all times particular as a result of I really feel prefer it’s extra emotional,” she mentioned. “For the second time, it is simply such a reduction.”

Solely two issues slowed down Sabalenka’s progress Saturday to her second Grand Slam singles title.

Within the third sport of the second set, with Zheng serving, the match was interrupted after an activist began yelling out. The match continued after the person was escorted out by safety.

Then, when she was serving for the match, Sabalenka had three championship factors at 40-0 however missed two with unforced forehands errors and one other with Zheng’s intelligent drop shot.

After giving Zheng a breakpoint probability, she bounced the ball away behind her in disgust. However she recovered her composure to win the subsequent three factors.

Sabalenka is the primary girl since Victoria Azarenka in 2012 and ’13 to win back-to-back Australian Open titles, and the fifth since 2000 to win the championship right here with out dropping a set – a gaggle that features Serena Williams.

She credited her assist group for maintaining her on monitor, and ensuring she loved the second. Sabalenka made a behavior of slapping and autographing the bald head of her health coach, Jason Stacy, earlier than every match in Australia.

After the ultimate, Stacy, carrying a shirt with the message “Simplicity is the important thing to brilliance” printed on the again, held the trophy on the court docket as Sabalenka huddled along with her group in a victory celebration.

A decade after Li Na held the Australian Open trophy aloft, Zheng made her finest run in 9 majors up to now. She mentioned in the course of the event that she felt well-supported in Melbourne due to the massive Chinese language group. And that performed out for the ultimate, the place the flags waved and he or she had the group behind her.

However she was taking part in an opponent ranked within the high 50 for the primary time on this event.

It was the second time in as many majors their paths had met within the second week; Sabalenka beat Zheng within the U.S. Open quarterfinals final 12 months.

Zheng’s push to the ultimate was two rounds higher than her earlier finest run to the quarterfinals in New York final September.

She was the primary participant in 4 a long time to advance via six rounds with out taking part in anybody ranked within the high 50 – and was solely the third within the Open period to succeed in a serious closing with out dealing with a seeded participant.

The step up towards No. 2-ranked Sabalenka proved an excessive amount of.

“I did not carry out my finest. That is actually pity for me, as a result of I actually need to present higher than that,” Zheng mentioned. “I believe I can be taught extra with the loss as we speak. After which I simply hope subsequent time I can come again as a greater tennis participant and are available again, yeah, stronger.”