So dynamic has Aryna Sabalenka been throughout this Australian Open, it is possible her successful title defence is a step towards establishing a dynasty at Melbourne Park.
After Novak Djokovic’s dominant reign on Rod Laver Arena was ended by Italian sensation Jannik Sinner, the Belarusian ensured one championship defence this year when defeating first-time finalist Qinwen Zheng 6-3 6-2 in 1hr 16min.
By becoming the first woman to win successive Australian Open titles since her compatriot Victoria Azarenka in 2012-2013, Sabalenka has stamped her authority on Melbourne Park.
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Whether she will come even halfway to matching the deeds of Djokovic here is a challenge, but at the age of 25, Sabalenka is entering what should be her most productive phase.
The arsenal of weapons that saw her seize the world’s top ranking for a period last year are superbly suited to the slower, high-bouncing hard courts in Melbourne.
From a serve that has claims to being the biggest weapon in tennis, a transition from two years ago, to the shape and speed she can impart on the tennis ball with her withering ground strokes, Sabalenka plays with a force that few, if any, can compete with in Australia.
She joined Lindsay Davenport in 2000, Maria Sharapova in 2008, Serena Williams in 2017 and Ash Barty in 2022 as the women to claim the championship without dropping a set.
Both the court speed and the tennis balls are a factor here. Few of her rivals, if any, can muscle the tennis balls as effectively as the No.2, particularly as they become older.
But her athleticism and strength are only part of the reason Sabalenka, who only dropped one set in her 2023 triumph, has become the world-beater she is on Rod Laver Arena.
It was evident a year ago in Melbourne that Sabalenka, who lost only 31 games, had added subtlety to her sizzling strokes, with her ability to ease off the throttle and work the angles noteworthy.
Evident this year has been her willingness to approach the net and use her impressive arm span to hasten the pressure on her rivals, as per her semi-final against Coco Gauff.
As a case in point, the delightful touch she deployed when hitting a short-backhand slice from an awkward position to secure a double-break in the second set illustrates this.
No longer can rivals hope to weather a storm of strokes from the dual-grand slam champion in the hope that eventually she will falter or lose focus. That will not get it done against her.
This is partly due to having more than one weapon to rely on. As she has matured, there is greater steel in her mental approach as well, with Sabalenka less prone to meltdowns now.
The all-courter from Minsk has now reached at least the semi-finals or better in the past six grand slams she has played, and also in eight of her past ten majors dating back to 2021.
She is exceptionally consistent. Put simply, it demonstrates that Sabalenka is a threat on any court and any surface in the world, be it Roland Garros to Wimbledon and onto hard courts.
The challenge is to convert her deep runs at the other three majors in the fashion she has managed in Melbourne, where she did not drop a set for the entirety of the tournament.
A year ago in Paris she squandered a golden opportunity against Karolina Muchova. At Wimbledon she was in the box seat against Ons Jabeur. She stretched Gauff in New York.
It is not hard to envisage that she will have learned from those experiences and, provided she arrives at the other three majors fit, be extremely hard to beat on every occasion.
Her challenger Zheng was beaten but not bowed in her grand slam debut.
She took a while to settle given the occasion and although she never looked likely to succeed, the 21-year-old enjoyed moments where she shined, including the final game.
Zheng navigated a path to the final where she did not once come across a player ranked inside the top 50.
Facing Sabalenka in her current mood provides an illustration of the level required to win a grand slam title, but the new world No.7 is improving rapidly and is a threat on clay as well.
Expect her to bridge the gap on the best over the next year given her relative inexperience.
