The Kazakh will go in search of her second Grand Slam after beating Azarenka in straight sets, while the Belarusian did the same by knocking out Linette on the fast lane to go in search of her first major
The final of the Australian Open in the women’s team already has two main players. The Kazakh tennis star Elena Rybakina and the Belarusian Aryna Sabalenka will compete on Saturday to win the first Grand Slam of the season.
Rybakina, the executioner of the world number one in the fourth round, defeated Victoria Azarenka, the 33-year-old Belarusian in straight sets (7-6 and 6-3), who had just completed a major tournament. The 23-year-old Rybakina thus reaches her second Grand Slam final, after Wimbledon 2022, in which she won and her first major against the Tunisian Ons Jabeur.
Despite her youth, the Kazakh tennis player already has a background of final rounds in important tournaments and, together with the great game she shows, could give her a certain favoritism in the face of the decisive match.
For her part, Sabalenka reached her first Grand Slam final after beating Poland’s Magda Linette (7-6, 6-2). One fact sums up the tournament of the Belarusian tennis player and that is that she has not dropped a single set in the entire championship, proof that she is reaching the final of the Australian Open on a superlative level.
It should also not be forgotten that Sabalenka won the tournament ahead of the first Grand Slam of the year, played in Adelaide, where she also did not drop a set in the four games she played. Balance of 20-0 in sets during this start of 2023 for the Belarusian, who returns to No. 2 in the WTA rankings, surpassed only by Iga Swiatek.
This Friday we also meet the finalists of the men’s draw, in a semi-final that takes on Khachanov-Tsitsipas and Djokovic-Paul, with the Greek and Serb as top favorites to reach the final at the Rod Laver Arena on Sunday.
It won’t be the first time that Rybakina and Sabalenka meet, not even in Grand Slams. They have already met three times and the score is 3-0 for the Belarusian. In the round of 16 at Wimbledon 2021, she defeated Sabalenka in three sets (6-3, 4-6 and 6-3).
Earlier they also played in the Abu Dhabi Open, again with a win for Sabalenka (6-4, 4-6 and 6-3), and in the Wuhan Premier (6-3, 1-6 and 6-1). They always made it to the three sleeves and in the final on Saturday it is expected that equality will manifest itself between two players who experience their best tennis moment.
Source: La Verdad
I am Shawn Partain, a journalist and content creator working for the Today Times Live. I specialize in sports journalism, writing articles that cover major sporting events and news stories. With a passion for storytelling and an eye for detail, I strive to be accurate and insightful in my work.
