2-Aryna Sabalenka d. 12-Zheng Qinwen (Chn) 6-3, 6-2
Aryna Sabalenka has become the first Australian Open women’s defending champion in more than a decade after the world No.2 overpowered China’s Zheng Qinwen with a clinical straight sets victory, 6-3, 6-2.
The star Belarusian wrapped up the win in just one hour and 16 minutes. Her only moment of trepidation came in the final game when she needed a fifth championship point to close out the victory.
Aryna Sabalenka is the back-to-back Australian Open champion after a clinical performance against Zheng Qinwen.Credit: Eddie Jim
With the major title, Sabalenka, 25, has put down an eye-catching marker to be the predominant player in women’s tennis this year, her Melbourne Park defence coming just months after she also reached the US Open final.
Sabalenka didn’t drop a set en route to Saturday night’s final at a jam-packed Rod Laver Arena – her semi-final showdown against the player she lost to in New York, Coco Gauff, proving to be her most difficult match.
Zheng struggled to match Sabalenka.Credit: Eddie Jim
Even then, Gauff was only able to push their opening set to a tie-breaker before Sabalenka put her foot down and stormed to victory.
Sabalenka joins a cavalcade of greats to have defended their Australian Open titles – the likes of Serena Williams, Jennifer Capriati, Martina Hingis, Monica Seles and Steffi Graf doing so since the tournament moved to Melbourne Park from Kooyong in 1988.
World No.1 Iga Swiatek holds a sizable lead on the rankings but Sabalenka, thanks to semi-final finishes or better at each of the slams last year, would feel confident that she’s in an even stronger position to get back to the top ranking, a spot she briefly held last year.
Sabalenka was on her game from the outset on Saturday night, only needing an early service break in the first set 6-3 in 36 minutes to move her to a position of dominance.
The pattern appeared to be eerily similar in the second set. Not even a brief crowd disturbance by some pro-Palestinian supporters in the stands was able to disrupt Sabalenka’s concentration.
Sabalenka scored a second break of serve in the fifth game to move to a 4-1 lead. At that point, she effectively already had her hands on the Daphne Akhurst Memorial Cup.
Sabalenka entered the opening major of 2024 brimming with confidence and seemed to get better as the tournament progressed. It was a comprehensive tournament performance, similar in fact to Ash Barty’s barnstorming run to the title two years ago.
The previous women’s player to go back-to-back at the Australian Open was Victoria Azarenka in 2012 and 2013. Before that, Serena Williams had managed the feat in 2009 and 2010.
Williams, also the champion in 2015, couldn’t defend her title the following year, losing to German Angelique Kerber.
MORE TO COME
Watch all the Australian Open action live on Nine, 9Gem, 9Now and ad-free on Stan Sport.
