One to keep his title, the other to open his prize list in Major. This is how to present this final of the 2024 Australian Open, Saturday at 9:30 a.m. French between Aryna Sabalenka and Zheng Qinwen. The Belarusian, victorious last year, dismissed Coco Gauff (7-6 [2], 6-4) in a controlled semi-final Thursday morning, to reach a third Grand Slam final. Sabalenka, world number 2, did not lose a single set in Melbourne and was more mentally solid than the young 19-year-old American, too nervous to hope to reach a first final at the Australian Open.
“It’s complicated to explain what I feel”
Sabalenka will start as favorite against the surprising Zheng Qinwen, only 12th player in the world. The Chinese had never done better than a second round in Melbourne and a quarter-final in a Grand Slam, dried up at this stage during the last US Open by… Sabalenka.
She eliminated the surprising Ukrainian Dayana Yatremska, from qualifying, without much effort (6-4, 6-4° and took advantage of the early elimination of number 1 Iga Swiatek in this part of the table to play her very first final in a Major at the age of 21 and, incidentally, reach the top 10 of the WTA rankings on Monday. “It’s incredible, it’s complicated to explain what I feel,” she declared on court at the resulting from the meeting.
