Aryna Sabalenka reached the final of the Australian Open on Thursday at the expense of Magda Linette. The Belarusian will meet the Kazakh Elena Rybakina in the final battle, who won against Victoria Azarenka earlier in the day without losing a set.
Sabalenka started the match with a loss of service, but recovered and struck her second set point in the tiebreak. Due to an early break in the second set, fifth-seeded Sabalenka finally took control of the match. She needed more than an hour and a half to secure the final spot: 7-6 (1) and 6-2.
With Sabalenka’s win, the fairy tale of thirty-year-old Linette comes to an end. The number 45 in the world sent home the seeded Karolína Plísková and Caroline Garcia earlier in the tournament. The Polish was in the semifinals of a Grand Slam tournament for the first time.
The 24-year-old Sabalenka can win her first Grand Slam singles title in the final. In Melbourne, the Belarusian was already allowed to hold up a cup when she won the doubles tournament in 2021 together with the Belgian Elise Mertens.
Rybakina puts an end to Azarenka’s dream
In the other semifinal, Rybakina beat Azarenka in two sets: 7-6(4) and 6-3. The 23-year-old Kazakh was convincing on the track against Azarenka, who was chasing her third title in Melbourne.
The former world number one won the Australian Open in 2012 and 2013. The 33-year-old Azarenka, who became a mother in 2016, cannot repeat that feat ten years later.
For Rybakina, reaching the final in Melbourne means her second Grand Slam final. Last year she won Wimbledon. In Melbourne she never got past the third round. In the quarterfinals, the number 25 in the world already settled with Jelena Ostapenko.
