Australian Open, Aryna Sabalenka first finalist
Aryna Sabalenka wins first Australian Open women’s semifinal
It's Aryna Sabalenka the first finalist in the Australian Open 2024 women's singles tournament. The Belarusian tennis player defeated American Coco Gauff in two sets, in a match that lasted one hour and 44 minutes with scores of 7-6(2), 6-4. For Sabalenka è the second consecutive final in Melbourne, after the one (later won) in 2023.
Sabalenka, number 2 WTA, tried from the start to impose her game, leading 5-2 in a first set that seemed one-sided: excellent, però, the reaction of Gauff, who occupies the fourth place in the world ranking, able to win four consecutive games, before però surrendering at the tie-break.
The second set è on the other hand, lived on much less tears: neither contender lost a game on her own serve until 4-4, when Sabalenka è managed to concretize the second break point for 5-4, bringing the hand of the match in her direction. Fought the last game, but it did not è serve for the American to cancel a match point: the second, in fact, è proved to be the good one for the defending champion.
For Aryna Sabalenka, the 1998-born athlete, è thus, the second final at the Australian Open, the third at the slam level: after her Melbourne victory in the final against Kazakh Elena Rybakina, also in 2023, the Belarusian è climbed all the way to the final act of the US Open, losing to Coco Gauff herself.
