Sweeter second time around for Sabalenka

MELBOURNE, Australia (AFP) – Aryna Sabalenka won a second Grand Slam title at the Australian Open on Saturday by marrying her undoubted tennis prowess with a more relaxed mentality and the discipline to stick with her strategy. Following her breakthrough at Melbourne Park last year to clinch a first major, the powerful 25-year-old Belarusian again demonstrated she has what it takes to come out on top, beating Chinese 12th seed Zheng Qinwen 6-3, 6-2. The emphatic win on a cool Melbourne evening removed her fear of being a one-hit wonder – a fate that has befallen many of her contemporaries since the dominant era of Serena Williams. In doing so, she became the first female player to mount a successful title defense at Melbourne Park since compatriot Victoria Azarenka in 2013. “I think my mindset is that I’m not getting crazy on court, I’m not rushing things,” said the world No. 2, who now has 14 titles under her belt. “You know, I’m just playing point by point, and that’s it, and fighting for every point without overthinking about my dreams, about what I want to do, about how many Slams I want to win and all that stuff. “I was able to separate myself from that kind of mentality and just start focusing on myself and focusing on things I can improve and I can get better in, and what I actually have to do to win every match I play.” Her breakthrough in Melbourne last season, which she followed up by making the semifinals in Paris and at Wimbledon before reaching the final of the US Open, is in stark contrast to her performance two years ago. At the 2022 Australian Open, Sabalenka’s serve was in pieces and she was having to scrape through fraught battles as her fragile emotions were laid painfully bare. The dramatic change has been a reward for hard work with her coaches and a sports psychologist, which has given her a zen-like peace while she has lost none of her fierce competitive instincts. “A big part is just seeing how, regardless of how she’s feeling or what’s happening, she’s having more and more discipline to stick with what the plan is, the strategy,” her physical trainer Jason Stacy said ahead of the final. She’s trusting herself and understanding what she’s doing a bit better.” Wearing a striking red dress on the blue courts, she did not drop a single set and was only once taken to tie-break, by US Open champion Coco Gauff in the semifinals. Sabalenka has attributed her consistency over the past year to being “more mature, older, whatever you want to call it.”