She has done it; Aryna Sabalenka has defended her Australian Open title. The second seed put up a show in the Final against Qinwen Zheng of China, beating the first-time Grand Slam finalist in just 1 hour and 16 minutes. Sabalenka went on a historic run at the Australian Open 2024, beating three seeds on her way to the title.
Talking about the match, the Belarusian claimed a straightforward win over the nervous and inexperienced Qinwen Zheng.
Aryna Sabalenka needed a little over an hour to win, breaking Zheng once in the first set and twice in the second. At 25 years old, Sabalenka showed her experience, having reached two finals prior to the Australian Open 2024 final.
It was clear from the start that Zheng was feeling nervous due to the occasion. Being just the second Chinese woman to reach a Grand Slam Final, Zheng was never really in contention for the match.
Although much more experienced, Aryna Sabalenka also faced some nerves while serving for the match at 5-2 but came through after a couple of deuces to win, 6-3, 6-2. With the win, the Belarusian won her second Grand Slam title and improved her record in Grand Slam finals (2-1).
Aryna Sabalenka: Road to the Australian Open 2024 Title
Round 1: defeated Ella Seidel [6-0, 6-1]
Round 2: defeated Brenda Fruhvirtova [6-3, 6-2]
Round 3: defeated Lesia Tsurenko [6-0, 6-0]
Round 4: defeated Amanda Anisimova [6-3, 6-2]
Quarterfinal: defeated Barbora Krejčíková [6-2, 6-3]
Semifinal: defeated Coco Gauff [7-6(2), 6-4]
Final: defeated Qinwen Zheng [6-3, 6-2]
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