Defeating Zheng Qinwen, Aryna Sabalenka won the Australian Open 2024 for the second consecutive time

Defeating Zheng Qinwen 6-3, 6-2 in the women's singles final, Aryna Sabalenka successfully defended her Australian Open 2024 championship.

Đánh bại Zheng Qinwen, Sabalenka lần thứ hai liên tiếp vô địch Australian Open

Aryna Sabalenka won the women's singles title at the Australian Open for the second consecutive year. (Source: Getty Images)

Sabalenka became the first woman to successfully defend her title in more than a decade. The Belarusian showed her superiority over 12th seed Qinwen, needing just 76 minutes to win at Rod Laver Arena.

The quick win over Qinwen showed Sabalenka's incredible strength over the past two weeks, the 25-year-old did not lose a set during her seven-match journey to the title.

The last time a female player successfully defended her title at the Australian Open was in 2013. That was Victoria Azarenka, also a Belarusian player.

"It's been an amazing two weeks and I can't imagine lifting this trophy again," Sabalenka said after winning the title.

"I want to congratulate Qinwen, you've had an incredible two weeks in Australia. I know it's tough to lose a final but you're an incredible player. You're a young girl and you're going to be in many more finals and champions."

With her achievements, Sabalenka is consolidating her position at the top of the world. The Belarusian player has reached 6 Grand Slam semi-finals, 3 finals and won 2.

Interestingly, Qinwen reached her first Grand Slam final without facing any seeds. All the seeds in her draw were eliminated early.

Entering the final, Sabalenka played a powerful game, with deep and heavy shots aimed at both corners of the court. The Belarusian player started well with an early break in the second game (2-0).

Qinwen competes in the Australian Open final. (Source: Getty Images)

In the third game, Qinwen faced a triple break-point but she could not claim the break. The Chinese player's subsequent efforts only prevented her from losing another break, Sabalenka did not give her opponent another chance to break the game and went straight to a 6-3 victory.

Failing to defend the first game of her serve in the second set put Qinwen under great pressure. Sabalenka found great stability, continuously breaking through while not allowing her opponent to win more than two points in her serve games.

Sabalenka got another break in the 5th game, extending the score to 4-1. In the 8th game, Qinwen also got a break point after saving 4 match points. However, Sabalenka did not let her opponent rise, she successfully saved the break point and ended the match immediately after.

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