Aryna Sabalenka came to the Australian Open as the reigning champion.
Now she is a two-time winner of the year’s first grand slam tournament after not dropping a set in the entire tournament.
The second-ranked Belarusian was pitted against Chinese 21-year-old Zheng Qinwen, ranked 15th in the world, in the final – and immediately connected.
Sabalenka won the first three games and was finally able to win the first set comfortably. And when it came time for the second set, she got off to a perfect start when she opened by breaking Zheng Qinwen’s serve.
After that, it was more or less straight ahead on the way to the title. Zheng Qinwen flashed from time to time but Sabalenka did not waver.
In the end, Sabalenka won 6–3, 6–2.
– I am very impressed with how she performed this final, says Eurosport’s expert Jonas Björkman in the broadcast.