Aryna Sabalenka has become the first woman to reach two consecutive singles finals
Aryna Sabalenka moved closer to keeping her Australian Open title by beating American Coco Gauff 7-6(2) 6-4 in an exciting match on Thursday. She’s now qualified for the final, where she’ll face either Zheng Qinwen or qualifier Dayana Yastremska.
In this report, Sabalenka achieved her career-best win in a Grand Slam event by defeating the world number four, Gauff. She’s also the first woman since Serena Williams in 2016 and 2017 to reach back-to-back singles finals at the Australian Open.
In a rematch of their U.S. Open final in September, Sabalenka took an early lead by holding her serve and capitalizing on two double faults by Gauff to break. Although Gauff fought back and breaks were exchanged, the 19-year-old struggled on her serve. Sabalenka eventually secured the first set in a tiebreak after a tense period at 6-5.
The second set saw both players competing closely until 4-4, with Sabalenka countering Gauff’s speed with power. The 25-year-old second seed then secured a crucial break when Gauff hit a shot long, and Sabalenka sealed the victory with two powerful serves.
After the match, Sabalenka praised Gauff, saying, “She’s an incredible player. I enjoy playing with her. Win or lose, it’s a great match. I hope we’ll play many more finals in the future. Hopefully, I’m going to win all of them.”
Now, Sabalenka aims to become the first woman to win consecutive Australian Open titles since Victoria Azarenka in 2012 and 2013.
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