AUSTRALIAN OPEN . Women’s Final. By Leo Canaparo
World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka booked her place in a fourth consecutive Australian Open final on Thursday after defeating Ukraine’s Elina Svitolina (No. 12) 6-2, 6-3.
The 27-year-old Belarusian will face either Kazakhstan’s Elena Rybakina (No. 5) or American Jessica Pegula (No. 6) on Saturday as she looks to claim her fifth Grand Slam title and her third in Melbourne, where she lifted the trophy in 2023 and 2024.
Speaking at her press conference, Sabalenka said: “I don’t like to compare myself, not even to yesterday. I feel it’s not something positive. I think the most important thing is to go out on court and give everything you have today. Every time I look back and see moments when I played well, I try to replicate that feeling, and that’s not good. I’m happy with my tennis. I feel that everything I worked on during the preseason is paying off. I’m happy about that and I’m just taking things day by day.”
On a potential final against Rybakina, she added: “Her shots are powerful, deep and flat. It’s not easy to deal with that, but yes, we have a great history. She’s an incredible player. We’ve had many memorable battles and played many finals against each other. She and I are different players compared to the 2023 final. We’ve been through different things, we’re mentally and physically stronger, and now we’re playing better tennis. I’m going to approach this match as something completely different.”