MELBOURNE, Australia ( Associated Press) — Aryna Sabalenka won her first Grand Slam title on Saturday, defeating Elena Rybakina 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 in the Australian Open final.
It was the first time the 24-year-old Belarusian tennis player had reached the final of a major.
So far in 2023, she has a perfect 11-0 record and has dropped only one set, the first set in the final at Melbourne Park, which went to reigning Wimbledon champion, Kazakh Rybakina.
But Sabalenka turned the match around with an aggressive style, resulting in 51 winners, 20 more than her opponent. She used 17 aces to overcome seven double faults and managed to break Rybakina’s serve, who is a specialist, three times for the last time in the third set to lead 4–3.
Nevertheless, Sabalenka had to work hard to win the championship. Serving in what would be the last game, she double faulted her first match point and needed three more to finish.
When Ryabkina hit a long backhand to bow out of the final after nearly two and a half hours, Sabalenka dropped to her knees on the court and remained there for a long time, tears welling up in her eyes and her face covered with her hands .
Sabalenka is a powerful player whose strongest point was also her biggest flaw: serving. While being perfectly capable of hitting aces, he also has a double fault problem. Last year he led the tour in that category with nearly 400, and there were matches in which he made more than 20 commits.
At the urging of his team, he agreed to overhaul his service mechanics in August, which with a commitment to staying calm under pressure is now paying off.
Sabalenka was 0–3 in Grand Slam semifinals until she ousted Magda Linette in Melbourne. Now she has gained the next edge and will be number 2 in the rankings.
