Aryna Sabalenka poses with the Daphne Akhurst Memorial Cup after winning defeating Elena Rybakina in the Australian Open women’s singles final on Saturday in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Quinn Rooney/Getty Images)
Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus plays a forehand to Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan in the women’s singles final during the women’s singles final at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Saturday, Jan. 28, 2023. (AP Photo/Asanka Brendon Ratnayake)
Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan plays a backhand return to Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus in the women’s singles final at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Saturday, Jan. 28, 2023. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara)
Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus plays a backhand return to Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan in the women’s singles final at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Saturday, Jan. 28, 2023. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila)
Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan serves to Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus in the women’s singles final at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Saturday, Jan. 28, 2023. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila)
Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus plays a forehand return to Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan during the women’s singles final at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Saturday, Jan. 28, 2023. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)
Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan plays a backhand return to Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus in the women’s singles final at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Saturday, Jan. 28, 2023. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila)
Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus plays a backhand to Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan in the women’s singles final during the women’s singles final at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Saturday, Jan. 28, 2023. (AP Photo/Asanka Brendon Ratnayake)
Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan plays a forehand return to Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus during the women’s singles final at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Saturday, Jan. 28, 2023. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)
Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus plays a forehand return to Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan in the women’s singles final at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Saturday, Jan. 28, 2023. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara)
Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan reacts during her women’s singles final against Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Saturday, Jan. 28, 2023. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara)
Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus plays a forehand return to Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan during the women’s singles final at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Saturday, Jan. 28, 2023. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)
Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus reacts after losing a point to Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan in the women’s singles final at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Saturday, Jan. 28, 2023. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara)
Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan plays a backhand return to Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus in the women’s singles final at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Saturday, Jan. 28, 2023. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila)
Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus plays a backhand return to Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan in the women’s singles final at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Saturday, Jan. 28, 2023. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila)
Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan celebrates winning a point over Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus in the women’s singles final during the women’s singles final at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Saturday, Jan. 28, 2023. (AP Photo/Asanka Brendon Ratnayake)
Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus plays a backhand return to Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan during the women’s singles final at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Saturday, Jan. 28, 2023. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)
Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan plays a forehand to Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus in the women’s singles final during the women’s singles final at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Saturday, Jan. 28, 2023. (AP Photo/Asanka Brendon Ratnayake)
Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus shrugs after losing a point to Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan in the women’s singles final during the women’s singles final at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Saturday, Jan. 28, 2023. (AP Photo/Asanka Brendon Ratnayake)
Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan plays a forehand return to Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus during the women’s singles final at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Saturday, Jan. 28, 2023. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)
Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus reacts after losing the first game of the third set to Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan in the women’s singles final during the women’s singles final at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Saturday, Jan. 28, 2023. (AP Photo/Asanka Brendon Ratnayake)
Elena Rybakina hits a return against Aryna Sabalenka during their Australian Open women’s singles final on Saturday, Jan. 28, 2023 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by William West/AFP via Getty Images)
Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus reacts after winning a point against Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan during the women’s singles final at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Saturday, Jan. 28, 2023. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)
Elena Rybakina hits a return against Aryna Sabalenka during their Australian Open women’s singles final on Saturday, Jan. 28, 2023 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Martin Keep/AFP via Getty Images)
Aryna Sabalenka hits a return against Elena Rybakina during the Australian Open women’s singles final on Saturday, Jan. 28, 2023 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by William West/AFP via Getty Images)
Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan reacts in the Women’s Singles Final match against Aryna Sabalenka during day 13 of the 2023 Australian Open at Melbourne Park on January 28, 2023 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Mark Kolbe/Getty Images)
Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus plays a backhand return to Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan in the women’s singles final at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Saturday, Jan. 28, 2023. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara)
Aryna Sabalenka reacts after winning a point against Elena Rybakina during the Australian Open women’s singles final on Saturday (late Friday night PT) in Melbourne, Australia. Sabalenka rallied to win, 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, for her first Grand Slam title. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila)
Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan plays a forehand in the Women’s Singles Final match against Aryna Sabalenka during day 13 of the 2023 Australian Open at Melbourne Park on January 28, 2023 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)
Aryna Sabalenka hits a return against Elena Rybakina during their Australian Open women’s singles final on Saturday, Jan. 28, 2023 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by David Gray/AFP via Getty Images)
Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus celebrates after defeating Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan in the women’s singles final at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Saturday, Jan. 28, 2023. (AP Photo/Mark Baker)
Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus celebrates after defeating Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan in the women’s singles final at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Saturday, Jan. 28, 2023. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara)
Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus celebrates after defeating Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan in the women’s singles final at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Saturday, Jan. 28, 2023. (AP Photo/Mark Baker)
Aryna Sabalenka, left, of Belarus congratulates Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan in the women’s singles final at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Saturday, Jan. 28, 2023. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila)
Aryna Sabalenka, right, embraces Elena Rybakina after their Australian Open women’s singles final on Saturday, Jan. 28, 2023 in Melbourne, Australia. Sabalenka rallied to win in three sets. (Photo by Martin Keep/AFP via Getty Images)
Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus celebrates defeating Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan in the women’s singles final during the women’s singles final at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Saturday, Jan. 28, 2023. (AP Photo/Asanka Brendon Ratnayake)
Aryna Sabalenka celebrates after defeating Elena Rybakina in the Australian Open women’s singles final on Saturday, Jan. 28, 2023 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by David Gray/AFP via Getty Images)
Aryna Sabalenka poses with the trophy after defeating Elena Rybakina in the Australian Open women’s singles final on Saturday, Jan. 28, 2023 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Martin Keep/AFP via Getty Images)
Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus holds the Daphne Akhurst Memorial Trophy aloft after defeating Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan in the women’s singles final at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Saturday, Jan. 28, 2023. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara)
Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus kisses the Daphne Akhurst Memorial Trophy aloft after defeating Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan in the women’s singles final at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Saturday, Jan. 28, 2023. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara)
Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus holds the Daphne Akhurst Memorial Trophy after defeating Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan in the women’s singles final at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Saturday, Jan. 28, 2023. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila)
Aryna Sabalenka holds the Daphne Akhurst Memorial Trophy aloft after defeating Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan in the women’s singles final at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Saturday, Jan. 28, 2023. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara)
Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus holds the Daphne Akhurst Memorial Trophy after defeating Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan in the women’s singles final at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Saturday, Jan. 28, 2023 (AP Photo/Aaron Favila)
MELBOURNE, Australia — The serves were big. So big. Other shots, too. The points were over quickly. So quickly: Seven of the first 13 were aces.
And so it was immediately apparent in the Australian Open women’s final between Aryna Sabalenka and Elena Rybakina that the one who could manage to keep her serve in line, get a read on returns and remain steady at the tightest moments would emerge victorious.
That turned out to be Sabalenka, a 24-year-old from Belarus, who won her first Grand Slam title by coming back to beat Wimbledon champion Rybakina, 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, at Melbourne Park on Saturday night (overnight Friday PT), using 17 aces among her 51 total winners to overcome seven double-faults.
It was telling that Sabalenka’s remarks during the post-match ceremony were directed at her coach, Anton Dubrov, and her fitness trainer, Jason Stacy – she referred to them as “the craziest team on tour, I would say.”
“We’ve been through a lot of, I would say, downs last year,” said Sabalenka, who was appearing in her first major final. “We worked so hard and you guys deserve this trophy. It’s more about you than it’s about me.”
Now 11-0 in 2023 with two titles already, she is a powerful player whose most glowing strength was also her most glaring shortfall: her serve. Long capable of hammering aces, she also had a well-known problem with double-faulting, leading the tour in that category last year with nearly 400, including more than 20 apiece in some matches.
After much prodding from her group, she finally agreed to undergo an overhaul of her serving mechanics last August. That, along with a commitment to trying to stay calm in the most high-pressure moments, is really paying off now.
The only set she has dropped all season was the opener on Saturday against Rybakina, who eliminated top-seeded Iga Swiatek in the fourth round.
But Sabalenka turned things around with an aggressive style and, importantly, by breaking Rybakina three times, the last coming for a 4-3 lead in the third set that was never relinquished.
Still, Sabalenka needed to work for the championship while serving in what would be the last game, double-faulting on her initial match point and requiring three more to close things out.
When Rybakina sent a forehand long to cap the high-level final after nearly 2½ hours, Sabalenka dropped to her back on the court and stayed down for a bit, covering her face as her eyes welled with tears.
Sabalenka was 0-3 in Grand Slam semifinals until eliminating Magda Linette in Melbourne. Now Sabalenka has done one better and will rise to No. 2 in the rankings.
As seagulls were squawking loudly while flying overhead at Rod Laver Arena, Rybakina and Sabalenka traded booming serves. Rybakina’s fastest arrived at 121 mph, Sabalenka’s at 119 mph. They traded zooming groundstrokes from the baseline, often untouchable, resulting in winner after winner.
“Hopefully,” Rybakina said afterward, “we’re going to have many more battles.”
The key statistic, ultimately, was this: Sabalenka accumulated 13 break points, Rybakina seven. Sabalenka’s trio of conversions was enough, and the constant pressure she managed to apply during Rybakina’s service games had to take a toll.
Sabalenka had been broken just six times in 55 service games through the course of these two weeks, an average of once per match. It took Rybakina fewer than 10 minutes of action and all of two receiving games to get the measure of things and lead 2-1, helped by getting back one serve that arrived at 117 mph.
A few games later, Sabalenka returned the favor, also putting her racket on one of Rybakina’s offerings at that same speed. Then, when Sabalenka grooved a down-the-line backhand passing winner to grab her first break and pull even at 4-all, she looked at Dubrov and Stacy in the stands, raised a fist and shouted.
In the next game, though, Sabalenka gave that right back, double-faulting twice – including on break point – to give Rybakina a 5-4 edge. This time, Sabalenka again turned toward her entourage, but with a sigh and an eye roll and arms extended, as if to say, “Can you believe it?”
Soon after, Rybakina held at love to own that set.
Sabalenka changed the momentum right from the get-go in the second set. Aggressively attacking, she broke to go up 3-1, held for 4-1 and eventually served it out, fittingly, with an ace – on a second serve, no less.
Sabalenka acknowledged ahead of time that she expected to be nervous, which makes perfect sense: This was the most important match of her career to date.
And if those jitters were evident ever-so-briefly early – she double-faulted on the evening’s very first point – and appeared to be resurfacing as the end neared, Sabalenka controlled them well enough to finish the job.
MUCH AT STAKE FOR DJOKOVIC, TSITSIPAS
Winning matches at the Australian Open does not give Novak Djokovic all that much trouble.
He has a 27-match unbeaten run, the longest at the place in the 55-year Open era. And now Djokovic needs just one more victory, against Stefanos Tsitsipas in Sunday’s final (late Saturday night PT), to collect what would be a record-extending 10th championship there and record-tying 22nd Grand Slam trophy overall.
It’s all of the other stuff – some of his own doing, some not – that is a lot to handle.
His streak at Melbourne Park was put on pause a year ago when he got deported from Australia because he was not vaccinated against COVID-19, and he has waffled between acknowledging that offers extra motivation this time around and also saying, “I’m over it.”
His parents and brother are back at the tournament for the first time in 15 years, but Dad did not attend Friday night’s 7-5, 6-1 6-2 victory over Tommy Paul in the semifinals after drawing attention by being seen two days earlier outside Rod Laver Arena with people showing support for Russia, whose invasion of Ukraine is now nearly a year old. Djokovic isn’t sure whether his father will be present for the final.
Djokovic requested more than once while competing last week that persistent hecklers should be removed by security while he was playing.
His left hamstring was sore enough at the beginning of the tournament that he said he was worried about it, but took “a lot” of pain-killing pills and underwent other treatments he didn’t describe in detail.
So how does the 35-year-old from Serbia compartmentalize all of that?
How does he put it aside and play the way he has been?
Since dropping the second set of his second-round match, Djokovic has won 14 sets in a row and given up a total of only 35 games in that span.
“I mean, sounds like a cliché, but you really have to accept it. It’s much easier said than done. In my case, I feel like things are just kind of piling on, adding on, somehow, for one reason or another,” he said. “I mean, it’s not an ideal situation or circumstance to be in when you have to kind of deal with all these other outside factors that are not really necessary during such an important event. But it’s been part of my life, unfortunately the last few years, more so. I just try to evolve from it. I try to become more resilient, more stronger.”
There is plenty at stake Sunday, for him and for Tsitsipas, a 24-year-old from Greece who will be appearing in his second Grand Slam final – 31 fewer than Djokovic.
In addition to the championship, the winner will move up to No. 1 in the ATP rankings, a place Djokovic has occupied more than anyone else and somewhere Tsitsipas has never been.
“Couldn’t be more ready for this moment,” Tsitsipas said after beating Karen Khachanov, 7-6 (2), 6-4, 6-7 (6), 6-3, in the semifinals.
“I genuinely believe in what I’m able to produce,” he said. “That is more than enough.”
We’ll see if that is the case against Djokovic, who leads their head-to-head series 10-2, including nine consecutive victories. One of those came in the 2021 French Open final, which Tsitsipas led two sets to love before Djokovic came all the way back to win in five.
While Tsitsipas is still seeking his first major title, Djokovic is hoping to tie Rafael Nadal for the highest total by a man in Grand Slam history.
Djokovic also has this going for him: He is 19-0 combined in semifinals and finals at Melbourne Park.
“The experience of being in this particular situation and circumstances before helps. Also, the fact that I never lost the Australian Open final definitely serves as a great confidence booster prior to Sunday,” Djokovic said. “But, of course, still, the job needs to be done on the court.”
Which is where things do tend to come rather easily for him.
IRVINE’S TIEN LOSES IN BOYS JUNIOR FINAL
Alexander Blockx of Belgium beat Irvine teenager Learner Tien, 6-1, 2-6, 7-6 (9), to win the junior boys championship at the Australian Open on Saturday (Friday night PT).
“It was one of my hardest battles of my life,” the 17-year-old Blockx said.
Tien paired with fellow American Cooper Williams to beat Blockx and Brazilian Joao Fonseca, 6-4, 6-4, in the junior boys doubles final on Friday (Thursday PT).
In the junior girls singles final, ninth-seeded Alina Korneeva beat seventh-seeded Mirra Andreeva, 6-7 (2), 6-4, 7-5, in a 3-hour, 18-minute baseline duel between the 15-year-old Russian doubles partners.
“It’s not our last battle,” Korneeva said during the trophy presentations. “We will have a lot of good matches.”
In the junior girls doubles final, Renata Jamrichova of Slovakia and Federica Urgesi of Italy beat Japan’s Hayu Kinoshita and Sara Saito, 7-6 (5), 1-6, 10-7.
