‘Speechless’ Sabalenka wins Australian Open

The Belarusian tennis player, Aryna Sabalenka, who is known for her strong hits, broke down in tears after winning the match against Elena Rybakina, the Wimbledon champion, in a close and intense match that lasted for 2 hours and 28 minutes on the Rod Laver Arena. Sabalenka, who is the fifth seed and currently in good form, received a comforting embrace from Rybakina before running to her team to celebrate with them. She thanked her team for their support, mentioning that they had gone through difficult times in the past year. She also acknowledged Rybakina's skills and expressed her hope that they would have more matches in the future, specifically in the Grand Slam finals.

When asked by journalists if it was the best match she had ever played, Sabalenka stated that it was. She acknowledged that her opponent, Rybakina, had played exceptionally well and that she had to fight hard to win the match. Sabalenka also mentioned that she had enjoyed the battle and that the tennis played was of high quality. The victory in the Grand Slam final will now result in Sabalenka’s ranking moving up to second in the world, behind Iga Swiatek, and matching her career high. The final match was described as a captivating display of powerful groundstrokes, accurate serving, and impressive rallies from both players who were at the peak of their abilities. It was a fitting conclusion to the two weeks of exciting and unexpected events at the Australian Open. Sabalenka also told a local Australian channel that she needed more time to fully grasp what had just happened and that she was at a loss for words.

In the match, Rybakina easily won the first set in just 34 minutes, but Sabalenka fought to come back in the second set, which lasted for 57 minutes, taking the match to a tense third set. The final set became a competition of who would crack under pressure first, as both players were strong servers. At 3-3, Rybakina, who represents Kazakhstan, struggled to make her first serves and although she saved two break points, she was unable to prevent a third, which allowed Sabalenka to take the lead. Sabalenka then hit an ace to make the score 5-3, but Rybakina held her serve to make Sabalenka serve for the championship. Sabalenka was able to handle the pressure, but it took her four challenging match points, during which she hit an impressive 51 winners and 17 aces. Sabalenka remains undefeated in 2023. After the match, Sabalenka said that she kept telling herself that winning would not be easy and that she had to work hard for it, and taking deep breaths helped her to handle the emotions during the last game. She also mentioned that she was happy that she was able to handle the emotions and that it was tough for her. Sabalenka had reached the semi-final of three Grand Slams before this year but this is the first time she made it to the final.

Sabalenka acknowledged that she had previously struggled with nerves and serving issues in the past, but felt that those struggles helped her understand what she needed to work on to improve. Despite the disappointment of losing in the final, Rybakina will see her ranking rise to the top 10 for the first time, as a result of her strong performance at the Australian Open. However, she stated that this alone would not change how she felt about the loss.