Aryna Sabalenka is an unstoppable force at the Australian Open after capturing her second straight tournament title in easy fashion with a 6-3, 6-2 win over Qinwen Zheng in the final on Saturday.
The 25-year-old needed just 75 minutes to secure the victory. She won 40 of 57 service points, including going 32-of-38 on first serves.
#AusOpen @AustralianOpen14 sets played, 14 sets won, the reigning champion retains her 👑!<br><br>Queen Aryna's second coronation caps a perfect fortnight at Melbourne Park.<a href="">@SabalenkaA</a> • <a href="">@wwos</a> • <a href="">@espn</a> • <a href="">@eurosport</a> • <a href="">@wowowtennis</a> <a href="">
The win capped off an impressive two-week run for Sabalenka, who won each of her seven matches in straight sets. The only person to win more than four games in a set was Coco Gauff, who forced a tiebreak in the first set of the semifinal.
Sabalenka joins an impressive list of women's players who have won the Australian Open without dropping a set since 2000.
The Tennis Letter @TheTennisLetterAryna Sabalenka becomes the 5th woman to win the Australian Open without dropping a set since 2000. <br><br>Lindsay Davenport<br><br>Maria Sharapova <br><br>Serena Williams<br><br>Ash Barty<br><br>𝘼𝙧𝙮𝙣𝙖 𝙎𝙖𝙗𝙖𝙡𝙚𝙣𝙠𝙖<br><br>An iconic group of women. ❤️ <a href="">
Fans were left in awe of a dominant showing for Sabalenka, both on Saturday and throughout the tournament.
Chris Goldsmith @TheTennisTalkerFantastic Fortnight of power tennis from Aryna Sabalenka 🇧🇾 as she defends her Australian Open singles title with a host of dominant displays. ❤️ <br><br>Too strong for Qinwen Zheng 🇨🇳 today. The Chinese player didn't play badly on her Grand Slam final debut but nothing she could do. <a href="">
Ritwika Dhar @RituD307What a dominant run, what a dominant final this was!! 2nd slam, back-to-back AO for Sabalenka!!! 🥳🥳😍😍🥰 🔥🔥 <a href="">#AO24</a>
Tom Jones 🏳️🌈 🇺🇦 @JomTones12Defending your maiden slam is an extremely impressive feat ngl. And to do it with the level of dominance Sabalenka displayed…bloody hell. Most dominant slam run I think we've seen since Barty here 2 years ago. I can't see how Sabalenka doesn't win more slams from here on out.
Joshüa SD @JoshTungcab_Sabalenka insanely dominant this whole tournament
Rod Laver @rodlaverOnce you've tasted major success it's hard to stop. Congratulations on a second AO title Aryna Sabalenka, no holding you back. Rocket
José Morgado @josemorgadoLast six Grand Slams for Aryna Sabalenka:<br><br>US Open 2022: SF<br>AusOpen 2023: W<br>Roland Garros 2023: SF<br>Wimbledon 2023: SF<br>US Open 2023: F<br>AusOpen 2024: W <a href="">
Tennis Channel @TennisChannelAryna Sabalenka at the last three hard-court majors 🤯<br><br>WWWWWWWWWWWWWLWWWWWWW<br><br>🥇🥈🥇 <a href="">
The Tennis Podcast @TennisPodcastThinking about how hard it's been for players to defend their maiden major titles, and how simple Aryna Sabalenka made it look over the past two weeks.<br><br>Also, since 2017, she's the player who's made the most hard-court finals.<br><br>Is this...is this the Sabalenka era? <a href="">
Tumaini Carayol @tumcarayolSabalenka's consistency in the big tournaments over the past year has been remarkable. <br><br>Back when she first broke through it was obvious that she had the game to win big titles, but her performing at such a high level week after week has been so impressive.
Ana Ivanovic @anaivanovicPure dominance by <a href="">@SabalenkaA</a> - Congratulations on defending your title in <a href="">#Melbourne</a> 💪🏼 Strong performance throughout the tournament physically and mentally!<br>Also well done <a href="">#Zheng</a> on reaching the final 🎾<a href="">#AusOpen</a> <a href="">#AO2024</a>
victoria azarenka @vika7Bravo <a href="">@SabalenkaA</a> <br>Just amazing! Congratulations 🏆 <br>So fully deserved ❤️
It's safe to assume Sabalenka is the most dominant player on the WTA circuit right now. She has advanced to the semifinal in each of the past five Grand Slam tournaments since the start of 2023, with three finals appearances and two titles during that span.
Sabalenka's 31 games lost in the entire tournament are the second-fewest for any women's player at the Australian Open in the 21st century, trailing only Ashleigh Barty's 30 in 2022.
The win makes Sabalenka one of two active players with multiple Grand Slam titles at the age of 25 or younger. Top-ranked Iga Świątek has four at the age of 22, with three coming at the French Open.
Sabalenka and Świątek have played nine head-to-head matches, but only one has come at a Grand Slam event. Świątek has a 6-3 edge, including a three-set win at the 2022 U.S. Open semifinal.
Roland Garros will be the next opportunity for Sabalenka and Świątek to renew their rivalry in a Grand Slam tournament. The French Open begins on May 20.
