Aryna Sabalenka is unique. The Belarusian, as aggressive and shameless as her game, stated that she “really wanted that revenge” over Coco Gauff, the kid who prevented her from capturing her second Grand Slam title in the 2023 US Open final. Revenge was sought and delivered. By the defending champion in a region few have been able to hang on to recently (unless you’re Novak Djokovic).
Sabalenka defeated the defending US Open champion 7-6(2), 6-4 in a semi-final at Rod Laver Arena on Thursday, overcoming some tense moments. Gauff evaluated Sabalenka’s quarter-final performance as a C, and while she did not exactly bring her A game in the semis, she did enough to emerge victorious from an uneven fight that landed Sabalenka in her second consecutive final at Melbourne Park, the site of her first Grand Slam win. Since Serena Williams in 2016 and 2017, no woman has made it to back-to-back Australian Open finals. World No. 15 Qinwen Zheng, who defeated Ukrainian Dayana Yastremska 6-4, 6-4 in the second semi-final to become the first Chinese player to reach a Slam final since her idol and 2014 Australian Open champion Li Na, stands between Sabalenka and another remarkable feat.