The world number two from Belarus won the highly anticipated Melbourne semi-final against the American Coco Gauff 7:6 (7:2), 6:4.
Aryna Sabalenka is just one step away from successfully defending her title at the Australian Open. The number two seeded player from Belarus moved into the final of the first tennis Grand Slam tournament for the second time in her career on Thursday with a 7:6 (2), 6:4 win against the American Coco Gauff year. There, the 25-year-old second in the rankings will meet Zheng Qinwen (CHN-12), who defeated Dajana Jastremska (UKR) 6:4,6:4 on Saturday.
Sabalenka is hoping for a similar end to 2023, where she defeated Kazakh Elena Rybakina in the Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne after a tough fight with 4:6.6:3.6:4. The only time she has ever appeared in the final of a major event was at the US Open last year. Gauff had the upper hand with 2:6.6:3.6:2. Sabalenka has now achieved revenge on Australian soil for the most recent defeat in a direct duel in September 2023.
More confident, more direct, faster
“I focused fully on myself and was prepared for the fact that she would move well and that I would have to play a lot of balls. “I was ready for anything,” Sabalenka summed up in the winner’s interview on the court. In the head-to-head, the 13-time WTA tournament winner shortened the score to 3:4. “It’s always great games, great to play against them,” said Sabalenka. They got off to a dream start with seven points in a row including a subsequent break to make it 2-0. She was unable to complete the first set confidently due to slight mistakes of her own. Both players gave their serve three times.
Gauff, seeded number four, was able to fend off a set point at 4:5 thanks to strong serves and move away to 6:5. With a rebreak, Sabalenka saved herself into the tiebreak in front of tennis legend Billie Jean King and was safe there, using her third set point. In the second round, both were more active in terms of service. The decisive factor was a break by last year’s winner to make it 5:4. The 19-year-old Gauff was then able to fend off a match point with a remarkable passing shot, but was powerless on the second one.
After 1:42 hours the success was in the bag, Gauff suffered her first defeat of the year after she had recently won the tournament in Auckland. “It was a tough match, I had my chances in both sets, but she played better. A few points decided, that’s the sport of tennis,” said Gauff. Generally speaking, it was a “positive” tournament.
On the trail of Serana Williams
Sabalenka was really challenged for the first time during the tournament. She is the first player since USA’s Serena Williams in 2016 and 2017 to make it to the final down under in consecutive years. Should she triumph, she would be the first player since Viktoria Asarenka in 2012 and 2013 to win two local titles in a row.
For Zheng, reaching the semi-finals was the greatest success of her career, which she can now ennoble with the premiere title. Her only duel so far with Sabalenka was clearly lost in two sets in the US Open quarterfinals in 2023. Against Jastremska she made up for a 0-2 deficit and made the preliminary decision perfect with her second break to make it 4-3. The Ukrainian, who had come out of qualifying, was then treated for an abdominal muscle injury. This is also why the Chinese had the better cards, and one more break was decisive in the second set.
After 1:42 hours, the 21-year-old number twelve in the tournament finished the game victoriously. Ten years after Li Na won the title, a Chinese woman is once again in the final in Melbourne.
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