Six matches played, twelve sets won. He lost only 26 games, of which he had the most ten. Certainly the newest, the hardest. Semifinals of the Australian Open, the event was resolved by 7-6 (7-2) and 6-4 in 1h.42′.
Aryna Sabalenka, 25 years old and world No. 2, will be playing in his third Grand Slam final, the second in a row in Melbourne, where he has amassed thirteen consecutive victories. The champion will defend his crown on Saturday against the survivor of the semi-final between the Ukrainians Dayana Yastremska and china Qinwen Zheng.
The Belarusian tennis player took revenge for his defeat in the final of the last US Open against the American Coco Gauff, which he tied to his ‘Aussie’ territory.
The American, 19 years old and No. 4, suffered his first loss of the season, in his eleventh match, seeing his streak of twelve consecutive victories in Grand Slam duels.
Sabalenka is euphoric, with spirits and games. It was difficult for him to tame an initial set of many nerves, of constant coming and going. He dominated 2-0, 5-2, 5-4 and set point, but had to confirm his dominance in the tiebreak, where he overwhelmed a tense Gauff.
In winning dynamics, Sabalenka finished in two sets. Extraordinary. He will never regain the world number one held by the Pole Iga Swiatek nor revalidated the crown, but he was in the match all season. He is the first tennis player to play in a second consecutive final in Australia since he did so Serena Williams in 2016 and 2017.
What’s your secret? He worked with psychological experts to tame his insecurity, he hired a specialist in biomechanics to avoid difficulties, especially double mistakes. He set to work to improve in every way, deploying his natural talent.
And the spell he established at this Australian Open is also working, unfortunately for his physical trainer, Jason Stacy. Sabalenka had the idea to stamp his autograph on his bald head, and he won.
“I told Jason this is the routine now because it worked in the first fight,” Sabalenka explained. Anything goes to weaken the responsibility of defending the Grand Slam crown. And make a team. This is how the Belarusian feels, he will continue to sign Jason’s bald head until the last day.
Source: La Verdad
I’m Robert Maynard, and I am a passionate journalist with experience in sports writing. For the last few years, I have been writing for Today Times Live. My main focus has been on sports-related stories and features. With my strong background in journalism and extensive knowledge of the industry, I am able to provide readers with well-crafted pieces that are both informative and engaging.
