Australian Open: Sabalenka beats Ryvakina in final to win her first Grand Slam title

Belarusian fifth seed Aryna Sabalenka defeated Kazakhstan’s Elena Ryvakina 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 in the final to clinch the singles crown and her first Grand Slam title at the 2023 Australian Open, on Saturday.

This match was portrayed as one between two aggressive and fearless players, unfolding in a dramatic finale of 2 hours and 28 minutes.

In the end, the players struck 82 winners between each other. 51 of them came from Sabalenka’s racket, but the fearless play of the No.5 seed in tense moments ultimately made the difference.

With her 3-3 lead in the third set, Sabalenka had her chance to break for the third time in the game.

SABALENKA IS CROWNED #AO2023 CHAMPION 👑 pic.twitter.com/tO8PoYxDSr

— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) January 28, 2023

She scored her 16th ace in the next game to take a 5-3 lead. Last year’s Wimbledon champion Ryvakina held on to 5-4.

When Sabalenka stepped onto the field to end the game, she took a few deep breaths and methodically made her way to the court. After winning her fourth match point, Sabalenka fell to the court in celebration when Ryvakina passed a long forehand.

The 24-year-old received her championship trophy from Billie Jean Her King. King thanked her for all she has done for her women’s tennis.

“I am still shivering and very nervous. My team – the craziest team on tour. We have had many ups and downs in the last year. we have worked hard. You deserve this trophy, it’s more about you than it is about me,” Sabalenka said.

No one can say that this did not come to Sabalenka. Her Grand Slam crown means she has won titles at various levels of the top flight – 250s, 500s, 1000s and now a major.

But now is the time to soak up the glory of Saturday.

Sabalenka thanked the team led by his coach Anton Dubrov.

“We’ve been through a lot of downs last year. We worked so hard. You guys deserve this trophy,” she said.

“It’s more about you than it is about me. Thank you so much for everything you are doing for me. I love you guys.” she added.

In the first set, Rybakina won 75 per cent of her second-serve points. In the next two, it fell to 44 and 29, respectively.

With this, Sabalenka has now won all 11 of her matches this year, and the first set against No. 22 seed Ryvakina was the first set she dropped. With the victory, Sabalenka improved to 4-0 against Rybakina, all of the wins coming in three sets.