Aryna Sabalenka ready for ‘great battle’ with Qinwen Zheng in Australian Open final
Aryna Sabalenka is aiming to become the first female player to defend her Australian Open women’s singles title since compatriot Victoria Azarenka in 2013, but first-time major finalist Chingwen Jen stands in front of her. < /p>
Sabalenka got her revenge in today’s US Open final, defeating Coco Gauff in straight sets and returning to the final in Melbourne.
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The Belarusian player believes that concentration was the key to his victory over the American player. “It was an unbelievable match. She’s a great player. The important thing is that she was able to concentrate no matter what happened. I’m happy to be in the final again and hope to do better than the last final. I hope.
“After the first set in NYC, I played passive tennis against them. I rallied too much, so it didn’t work out well against them. I practiced a lot of my approach shots. That made all the difference.”
Sabalenka was waiting for Zheng’s winner and qualifier Dayana Yastremska. The Chinese player became the first Chinese player to reach a Grand Slam final since Li Na won the 2014 Australian Open.
And the world No. 2 player revealed that she believes her opponent’s biggest weapon is herself. “Ms. Zheng is a really nice girl and plays great tennis. And when I play her, it’s going to be a big battle. She moves well, fights well on every point, and the forehand is her best. It’s a shot, and it’s very heavy.”
A pair of Grand Slam finalists ✌️ 🇨🇳#AusOpen • #AO2024 pic.twitter.com/2EqwRA1moS
– #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) 2 January 1,
Saturday night saw the second meeting between Sabalenka and Jen in Melbourne, with the former winning in the quarterfinals of the previous US Open.
In the baseline…
Aryna Sabalenka looked impressive in her title defense in Melbourne, not dropping a set in six matches. She’s the clear favorite to win Saturday’s final, but she’ll be spinning her web against Coco Gauff in the U.S. Open final. For Qinwen Zheng, she may be very nervous before the finals, but as a big-time outsider, she has little to lose.
Read more: How to watch the Australian Open
