Australian Open 2024: Aryna Sabalenka, title holder, beats Coco Gauff and qualifies for the final

Aryna Sabalenka. MAXPPP – MAST IRHAM

Aryna Sabalenka, tenante du trophée et N.2 mondiale, s'est qualifiée pour sa deuxième finale d'affilée à l'Open d'Australie en dominant la N.4 mondiale Coco Gauff 7-6 (7/2), 6-4 jeudi à Melbourne.

In the final on Saturday, the 25-year-old Belarusian will face either the Chinese Zheng Qinwen, world No.15, or the Ukrainian qualifier Dayana Yastremska (93rd). In the meantime, she took her revenge on the young American, who toppled her in the final of the US Open 2023.

SABALENKA DOES IT!

She’s back in the Australian Open final! pic.twitter.com/SQJW17fNUb

— US Open Tennis (@usopen) January 25, 2024

This will be Sabalenka's third major final, after the one won in Melbourne a year ago, and the one lost in New York in September 2023.

Sabalenka showed her power

She is the first to reach two finals in a row at the Australian Open since Serena Williams in 2016 and 2017. Sabalenka reached as high as 60~p> ;in the final without dropping a single set since the start of the Australian fortnight.

If her semi-final lasted more than a hundred minutes, she had not lingered on the court for more than 71 minutes during her first five matches. She had only lost sixteen games to reach the final four.

💪 La tenante du titre sera au rendez-vous de la finale ! Aryna Sabalenka domine Coco Gauff (7-6, 6-4) sur une Rod Laver Arena qu'elle retrouvera samedi.

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— Eurosport France (@Eurosport_FR) January 25, 2024

Under the closed roof of the Rod Laver Arena on Thursday evening, Sabalenka deployed with some success his simple but effective strategy: hitting with all his might.

Heavy blows which allowed him to lead 5 games to 3 in the first set and serve for the set. Gauff, by forcing her as much as possible to play one more shot, managed to reverse the trend to lead 6-5 and come within two points of the set.

Also read: Australian Open 2024: surprise quarter-finalist, atypical course, exceptional maturity… At 14, who is Ksenia Efremova, new phenomenon of French tennis ?

But Sabalenka once again brought her firepower to bear to win the deciding game. In the second set, she made the difference at 4 all and concluded on her second opportunity in the next game.

Sabalenka has reached, at least, the semi-final stage during the last six Grand Slam tournaments and the last two Masters, since the US Open 2022.