The No. 2-seeded Sabalenka broke Zheng’s serve in the second game and took the first set in 33 minutes
In the women’s final on Saturday, Aryna Sabalenka defeated Zheng Qinwen 6-3, 6-2 to secure back-to-back Australian Open titles. In the second game, Sabalenka, ranked second, broke Zheng’s serve and won the opening set in thirty-three minutes.
She broke the No. 12-seeded Zheng once more to begin the second set, and she remained unchallenged throughout.
It has been an incredible few weeks. “Right now, it’s an incredible feeling,” Sabalenka remarked during the trophy presentation. “It’s not a superpower; as usual, my speech is going to be weird.”
Sabalenka’s march toward her second Grand Slam singles title on Saturday was hampered by just two factors.
Zheng was serving in the third game of the second set when an activist began to yell during the match. The man was led out by security, and the match went on.
Sabalenka then had three championship points at 40-0 while serving for the match, but she missed two with long or wide forehands and another with Zheng’s deft drop shot.
She bounced the ball away behind her in disgust after giving Zheng a breakpoint opportunity, but she regained her composure to win the next three points.
She ultimately required five championship points before securing the win with a forehand crosscourt play. It was the type of shot that had nearly put Zheng behind the curve early on.
In just 13 months, the 25-year-old Sabalenka advanced to two victories in three Grand Slam finals. She won the title in Australia a year ago, defeating Elena Rybakina.
Sabalenka is the first female champion to win the Australian Open twice in a row since Victoria Azarenka in 2012 and 2013. She is also the fifth champion to win the tournament without dropping a set since 2000, a group that also includes Serena Williams.
For the first time in this tournament, the 21-year-old Zheng was facing a player ranked in the top 50 and making her major final debut.
Their paths had crossed in the second week of classes for the second time in as many majors.
Last year, Sabalenka defeated Zheng in the quarterfinals of the U.S. Open to advance to the championship match, where she was defeated by American teenager Coco Gauff.
With a semifinal win here, Sabalenka made up for that loss to Gauff and extended her winning run at Melbourne Park to 13 games. It’s fourteen now.
Zheng’s run to the championship match in her ninth major was two rounds better than her best run to the quarterfinals in New York last September.
She was only the third player in the Open era to make it to a major final without going up against a seeded opponent. She was also the first player in forty years to progress through six rounds without facing anyone in the top 50.
