Sabalenka

What all seemed so different, so daunting, even, about trying to win a Grand Slam title to Elena Rybakina a little more than six months ago is now coming ...

Sure, Rybakina again faltered for a bit while trying to serve out the victory at 5-2. A mistake-filled tiebreaker ended with Azarenka pushing a forehand wide to cap an 11-shot exchange, and the set belonged to Rybakina. It was breezy and chilly at Rod Laver Arena from the start of Rybakina vs. Rybakina encountered similar issues and her occasional inconsistency was encapsulated by the very first game. 1 and a three-time runner-up at the U.S. Rybakina might be seeded just 22nd in Melbourne, and ranked just 25th, but those numbers are rather misleading and not indicative at all of her talent and form. It wasn't the case that each and every shot Sabalenka hit landed right on a line, but it must have seemed that way to Linette. Azarenka lost the mark on her strokes, for the most part, making things smoother for Rybakina, while Sabalenka raced to a 6-0 lead in hers. Her performance was particularly noteworthy against a returner and defender as established on hard courts as Azarenka, a former No. She delivered serves at up to 117 mph (189 kph) and stinging groundstrokes that she used to close points seemingly at will on Thursday. "For sure, they're very experienced players,'' said Rybakina, whose parents and sister have been in town throughout the Australian Open. Sabalenka is far less cautious, though, and her penchant for high-risk, high-reward play was evident against Linette, who had never before been past the third round in 29 appearances at majors.

MELBOURNE, Australia — It will be strength against strength and power against power in the Australian Open women's singles final on Saturday.

She has beaten three straight Grand Slam singles champions to reach this final: Iga Swiatek, Jelena Ostapenko and Azarenka, a 33-year-old Belarusian who won the Australian Open in 2012 and 2013. Sabalenka is seeded fifth and Rybakina 22nd, but that does not tell the whole tale. And yet her inconsistency and combustibility have, until now, kept her from reaching the top. But after losing her first three Grand Slam singles semifinals, she is now into her first final. “It was great tennis from me in the tiebreak.” The outcomes were strong. Both have lifted their games to new levels since then. The year’s first Grand Slam event runs from Jan. Rybakina, 23, is a quiet intimidator: her big serves and rolling, deep groundstrokes applying constant pressure. Rybakina is self-contained and difficult to read, maintaining an even keel throughout her matches. In this Australian Open, 16 to Jan.

ELENA RYBAKINA will take on Aryna Sabalenka for a big-hitting Australian Open women's final on Saturday. In two similar semi-finals, Wimbledon champion ...

With a regular donation to our monthly Fighting Fund, we can continue to thumb our noses at the fat cats and tell truth to power. The Morning Star is unique, as a lone socialist voice in a sea of corporate media. “There is still one more match to go,” said the Belarusian, who is yet to drop a set in 10 matches in 2023.

The two women's semi-finals at Australian Open 2023 set the stage for a compelling finale on Saturday.

I'll try my best, fight and hopefully I'm going to win." [Three previous major semi-finals](https://www.rolandgarros.com/en-us/article/us-open-2022-semi-finals-preview-caroline-garcia-ons-jabeur-iga-swiatek-aryna-sabalenka), a trio of three-set defeats. I'm very happy to play here one more time," said the Kazakh youngster, who can climb to world No.8 with the title. I would say it still took me a lot of time. "For sure I got a lot of experience from Wimbledon, to be honest I just want to come on court and enjoy the moment, the atmosphere. [Aryna Sabalenka](https://www.rolandgarros.com/en-us/players/33249-a.sabalenka) made her mark on the Grand Slam Roll of Honour. Here is what happened Down Under at Melbourne Park… "Today it was a little tough for me, different conditions, I couldn’t be super aggressive. "Overall, I'm happy that I managed to win first set, and then it was a bit better in the second. [Rybakina](https://www.rolandgarros.com/en-us/players/38569-e.rybakina) fought off a gallant effort from two-time champion [Victoria Azarenka](https://www.rolandgarros.com/en-us/players/12595-v.azarenka) 7-6(4) 6-3. Day 11 at Australian Open 2023 was headlined by a quartet of women at the peak of their powers. "Being in a final at this kind of tournament is amazing, to feel this atmosphere, to play on this court.

The women's 2023 Australian Open final is set: Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus will take on Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan after the two each won their semifinal ...

Aryna Sabalenka reached her first grand-slam final with an impressive 7-6 (1), 6-2 victory over Magda Linette.

“She’s playing great tennis, super aggressive and she already got one grand slam so she has kind of had this experience playing the final. But Sabalenka held her nerve and found her range, breaking back to 2-2 before playing game for game until the tie-break. The Pole’s defensive skills absorbed much of the barrage and her footwork allowed her to redirect what she had soaked up to the desired location, particularly from her backhand. In the bowels of Rod Laver Arena, Sabalenka completed warm-up drills with a swiss ball and the look of a player loose and unperturbed about the moment of truth that awaited. It might have been that she had won all 18 sets she had played in 2023 and was not about to drop one now. The first-set tie-break said it all – Magda Linette lost it 7-1 and she had not done anything wrong.

Sabalenka, who is ranked No. 5 in the world, defeated her Polish counterpart in a game that lasted just over one hour and 30 minutes and will now face Elena ...

It was great tennis from me on the tie-break. But the Belarusian is in fine form, and she is yet to drop a single set in the Australian Open Sabalenka will now face Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina (above) in the final on Saturday [Wimbledon](/sport/wimbledon/index.html) champion Elena Rybakina in the final after she beat Victoria Azarenka 7-6 (7-4) 6-3 earlier on Thursday. - She will now face Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina in the final on Saturday [Aryna Sabalenka](/sport/aryna-sabalenka/index.html) reached the [Australian Open](/sport/australian_open/index.html) final after beating Magda Linette 7-6 (7-1) 6-2.

Two of the biggest hitters in women's tennis go toe-to-toe when Aryna Sabalenka and Elena Rybakina clash in Saturday's Australian Open final in Melbourne.

"Now I more or less understand what to expect. "I was just trying to hold myself, stay calm, just think about the next point. "I just have to take this responsibility and I just have to deal with that." But she is more than just a big serve and has enough all-court game to ward off most danger -- her wide reach and ability to hit winners off both wings enabling her to get out of trouble. Sabalenka is now so confident of handling her emotions -- demonstrated as she smoothly fought back from 2-0 down in the first set against Linette -- that she has dispensed with her sports psychologist. Belarusian fifth seed Sabalenka is in the form of her life and on the brink of a maiden Grand Slam crown.

By Shrivathsa Sridhar MELBOURNE (Reuters) - Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina began her Australian Open campaign on the outer courts at Melbourne Park ...

"Let's talk about that if I win it," she said. It was great tennis." I knew I have to focus on every point.

That run includes victories over three-time Slam winner and Iga Swiatek, 2012-13 Australian Open champion Victoria Azarenka and 2017 French Open champ Jelena ...

But Sabalenka reworked the mechanics on her serve during a five-day session less than a month before the U.S. Then she found the serve. “As a matchup, I mean, it’s going to be a lot of mistakes, a lot of winners, I’m sure about that, from both sides, because there is going to be a lot of pressure," said Stefano Vukov, Rybakina’s coach. It’s a style that evokes the way the Williams sisters went about winning when they began to transform the sport — and rather different from the way the current No. It's a significant development for someone who struggled mightily with double-faulting last year, accumulating nearly 400 over the course of the season, including more than 20 in some matches. Since then, Sabalenka's coach, Anton Dubrov observed, “Aryna lost (her) serve. Something else Sabalenka has improved that has made her a better player: the way she manages her mindset during a match. 1, Iga Swiatek, and her predecessor, the retired Ash Barty, went about things. It’s a big tournament, big final,” Sabalenka said. 5; Rybakina is No. She is seeded No. Saturday’s contest is, after all, Sabalenka’s first singles title match at a Grand Slam tournament.

Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina plays in her second final in the past three Grand Slam tournaments when she meets No. 5 Aryana Sabalenka for the ...

Women’s Doubles Semifinals: No. 3 Stefanos Tsitsipas beat No. Men’s Singles Semifinals: No.

Imagine a picture of a tennis ball that has been chewed to oblivion by a german shepherd for a few days. It lies lifeless, with puncture wounds, ...

I think I just need to keep on doing the same thing, no matter the conditions.” “I think my movement is a little bit better. Rybakina has to make a high percentage of first serves, play consistently well, and follow up her serves and return with confident aggression. But it will also give Rybakina a little more time to wind up and time the ball. Sabalenka believes that her sense of calm is the reason she has been able to plow through the Grand Slam semifinal barrier. I was nervous a lot. I was rushing a lot. “Right now I’m a little bit more calm on court,” Sabalenka said. “It's going to be a tough battle,” she said on Thursday after defeating Victoria Azarenka in the semis. Asked if there is a difference between their power, Sabalenka said the following: “I think it's just different. It's important to have a good placement on the serve.” It's really tough to do something on her serve.”

The 24-year-old has been tipped as a future major champion for the last five years but her matches were frequently emotional rollercoasters and her three ...

Coaching is now allowed, and I think she's using it in the best possible way." He defended his conduct, saying: "I think that it's easy to just take clips and then make something controversial. "I think we had a really, really good pre-season. "I think that's OK to feel a little bit nervous," she said. "She understands that one of her biggest weapons is missing, but she's still fighting with anyone. "I realised that nobody other than me will help," she said.