The first will have been good for Aryna Sabalenka! Opposed to Elena Rybakina in her very first Major final, the 24-year-old Belarusian trembled for a long time in front of 31,650 spectators on the Rod Laver court, a record. Novice at this height, she finally emerged victorious from a 2:28 fight on her fourth match point, Saturday in Melbourne (6-4, 3-6, 4-6).
In three sets, the 5th player in the world brought down the 23-year-old Kazakh, seeded number 22, from the last step. Rybakina, winner at Wimbledon last year, had the experience of this kind of event on her side. But Sabalenka, after missing the first set – her very first of the tournament – had her opponent worn out.
Zwiatek’s first runner-up
“Trembling” and “nervous” with the trophy in hand to make her speech, the new queen of Melbourne greeted her clan and admitted “to have had a difficult time, to have worked a lot” to reach this final. “I hope to show you even better tennis next year,” she told the crowd with sparkling eyes.
More enterprising and more consistent than her opponent over time, she will reach second place in the world on Monday just behind Iga Swiatek, the best ranking of her career. Champion on the London lawn last year without WTA points distributed, Rybakina will climb to 10th in the world, also her best ranking.