Aryna Sabalenka trounces Svitolina and returns to Australian Open final

Aryna Sabalenka is back in the final at the Australian Open. The world and seeded number one overwhelms Elina Svitolina, number 12 in the WTA rankings and seeding (6-2 6-3) after just over an hour and a quarter of play centering the final act of the Australian Major for the fourth consecutive year. She is only the third player in the Open era to reach this milestone after Evonne Goolagong and Martina Hingis.

Tough start for Sabalenka who immediately faces two break points but the Belarusian saves with a winning forehand and serve. In the fourth game, the number one seed drags Svitolina to the advantages and at the first useful opportunity she gets the break (3-1). Sablenka comes close to an encore in the sixth game but a backhand error betrays her, the’eighth however is the good one and is also worth winning the first partial.

In the second set Svitolina tries to reopen the challenge by snatching the serve from Sabalenka in the opening game thanks also to too many free errors by the Belarusian. The Ukrainian confirmed the break (2-0) but Aryna’s reaction was immediate: counter-break to fifteen and overtake (3-2). Sabalenka again robs Svitolina of her service in the sixth game (4-2), stringing together a partial run of five consecutive games that effectively closes the match.

“An incredible achievement, but the work is not over yet – stressed Sabalenka in the on-court interview at the end of the match -. I am super happy with the victory: she is a very tough opponent, she has been playing really amazing tennis all week and I am simply overjoyed to have overcome this very complicated match”.

“I have been following her matches: she played unbelievable against Mirra, against Coco, in general throughout the tournament – added the world number one -I felt I had to come in hard and put as much pressure on her as possible, and I am happy that today the level was right. I played great tennis and I am happy to have won in two sets”.