SUMMARY
- Aryna Sabalenka brought the roof down at the Rod Laver Arena with her tennis and her grunting.
- Coco Gauff came to Sabalenka's defense.
The Australian Open is nearing the finishing line after two weeks of spectacular tennis. Aryna Sabalenka took to the courts in Melbourne as the defending champion, and she looks determined to add another title to her name. The final is still a couple of days away, but Sabalenka has found herself in a bit of a sticky spot, with increasing calls for hindrance owing to her grunts. However, Coco Gauff has come to her rescue, despite losing to Sabalenka earlier.
Aryna took on Gauff in the highly anticipated semifinal clash at the Rod Laver Arena. It lived up to all the hype, as the players went toe-to-toe from start to finish. In the end, Sabalenka prevailed and avenged her loss to Gauff in the US Open final.
Aryna has now made it to the finals of the Australian Open in two consecutive years. Moreover, she did it without dropping a single set. Sabalenka has been very impressive throughout, but her grunts have become the talking point once again. The closed roof added to the volume of her shrieks as she dispatched the ball.
Asking again how Sabalenka gets away with screaming on every shot all the way through the opposing player’s return. She’s literally still screaming when contact is made. It’s a hindrance and should be called. #AO2024
— ragebot (@RageBot_) January 25, 2024
Sabalenka sometimes grunts even after she has hit the ball. With calls for hindrance against the defending champion increasing, Gauff surprisingly came to her rescue.
In the post-match press conference, the teen gave a rather diplomatic answer. “No, I don’t think so. I don’t notice, you know. I feel like at least with her it’s consistent, so it doesn’t bother me,” she said (via Tennis365).
Aryna Sabalenka has been in menacing form. She defeated Coco 7-6(2), 6-4 in straight sets, to book her final berth. The defending champion will face Qinwen Zheng next.
Aryna Sabalenka vs. Qinwen Zheng: Australian Open final match preview and prediction
The final stage is set, as the women will go for glory. Aryna is just one win away from defending her title, but Qinwen stands in her way.
Sabalenka has yet to drop a set at the tournament so far. She defeated Ella Seidel, Brenda Fruhvirtova, Lesia Tsurenko, Amanda Anisimova, Barbora Krejcikova, and Gauff en route to the final. In doing so, Aryna has now made it to the finals of the three hardcourt Grand Slams.
3 – Aryna Sabalenka is the second player this Century to reach 3+ consecutive hard court Women’s Singles Grand Slam finals after Victoria Azarenka (four between Australian Open 2012 and US Open 2013). Three-peat.#AusOpen | @AustralianOpen @WTA @WTA_insider pic.twitter.com/9DL3JoxgJt
— OptaAce (@OptaAce) January 25, 2024
In 2024, Sabalenka holds a 10-1 record, with her only loss coming in the final of Brisbane International. She has also won 26 of her last 27 sets at Melbourne Park.
Zheng is also enjoying a dream run at the tournament. At 21 years of age, this is her first major final, and she will face Sabalenka. She defeated Ashlyn Krueger, Katie Boulter, Wang Yafan, Oceane Dodin, Anna Kalinskaya, and Dayana Yastremska. Qinwen was very impressive against Yastremska, defeating the Ukrainian player 6-4, 6-4.
A maiden Grand Slam final for Qinwen Zheng 🇨🇳
She becomes the youngest Chinese player to reach a GS final 💪pic.twitter.com/dKbe7dPiF7
— ITF (@ITFTennis) January 25, 2024
So far, the two women have faced each other only once, at the US Open last year. Sabalenka had defeated Zheng comprehensively in the quarterfinals.
This time, the stage is even bigger. Can Aryna Sabalenka successfully defend her title? Or will Melbourne see a new champion? They will lock horns on January 27 for the ultimate prize.
