Sabalenka first woman to repeat since ’13
Defeats Zheng in straight sets
MELBOURNE, Australia — In the back of her mind Aryna Sabalenka didn’t want to be, in her words, that player who wins a major title and disappears.
WinningherfirstGrand Slam crown in Australia a year ago gave Sabalenka the confidence she could do it again. Losing the U.S. Open final last September gave her the extra motivation.
Sabalenka ensured she wasn’t a one-hit wonder by clinching back-to-back Australian Open titles with a 6-3, 6-2 win against Zheng Qinwen on Saturday in a one-sided women’s final that contrasted sharply with her comebackthree-set victory here against Elena Rybakinalast year.
“I just wanted to show that I’m able to be consistently there and I’m able to winanother one,” she said.
In 2022, Sabalenka struggledso badly with her serve in tense moments that she doubted she could win a major. Now she’s relying on it to break down opponents. She didn’t serve a double-fault in the final, and she didn’t face a breakpoint.
No. 2-seeded Sabalenka set the tone with big, deep forehands and converted service breaks early in each set against Zheng, 21, whowas making her debut ina Grand Slam final.
“I’m definitely a different person and a player and I have more experience playing the last stages of the Grand Slams,” Sabalenka said, reflecting on thepast 13 months.
Only two things slowed down Sabalenka’s progress to her second Grand Slamsingles title.
In the third game of the second set, with Zheng serving, the match was interrupted after an activist startedyelling out.
Then, when she was serving for the match, Sabalenka had three championship points at 400 but missed two with unforced forehands errors and another with Zheng’s clever drop shot. But she recovered her composure to win the next three points.
Sabalenka is the first womansince Victoria Azarenkain 2012 and ’13 to win back-to-back Australian Open titles, and the fifth since 2000 to win the championshipwithout dropping a set — a group that includesSerena Williams.
Notes
At 43, Rohan Bopanna became the oldest man to win a Grand Slam doubles title in the Open era when hecombined with Matt Ebden for a 7-6 (0), 7-5 victory vs. Simone Bolelli and Andrea Vavassori in the final. It was his first major title inmen’s doubles — he won a mixed doubles title at Roland Garros in 2017 — and came in his 61st attempt, and with his 19th partner.