Published January 27,2024
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Aryna Sabalenka continued to be an irrepressible drive on the Australian Open as she powered to a 6-3 6-2 victory over Chinese twelfth seed Zheng Qinwen on Saturday to efficiently defend her title and add a second Grand Slam trophy to her cupboard.
The Belarusian second seed has barely put a foot fallacious at what has became her happiest searching floor as she turned the primary girl to retain the Melbourne Park crown since compatriot Victoria Azarenka in 2013.
Sabalenka got here into the match with out dropping a set on the 12 months’s first main and stayed good to hitch Ash Barty, Serena Williams, Maria Sharapova and Lindsay Davenport within the elite membership of gamers to have managed the feat since 2000.
She unleashed monster groundstrokes to seize the ultimate by the scruff of the neck with an early break and 1000’s of Chinese supporters and hundreds of thousands again house watched Zheng fall behind 3-0.
Sabalenka didn’t have her nation’s flags within the stands resulting from a ban over her nation’s position in Russia’s invasion of Ukraine however the charismatic 25-year-old has a giant Melbourne fan base and he or she rode the Rod Laver Arena assist to take the primary set.
Zheng, who had saved 4 set factors, confirmed she was slowly rising in confidence in her second assembly with Sabalenka by firing up her personal large forehand amid the rallying cry of “Jia You” from her compatriots within the crowd.
A clear crosscourt winner earned Sabalenka a break level within the opening recreation of the second set and Zheng’s double fault gifted it to her, the 21-year-old’s hopes of emulating her idol Li Na’s 2014 triumph starting to evaporate.
Sabalenka shrugged of shaky service recreation to shut out essentially the most one-sided last since Azarenka beat Maria Sharapova 6-3 6-0 in 2012 by smashing a forehand winner.
Source: www.anews.com.tr
