The Belarusian Aryna Sabalenka, defending champion of the Australian Open, once again qualified for the final of the competition in Melbourne by defeating the American Coco Gauff and thus taking revenge for the definition that the North American won against her last year at the US Open. The world number two will face China’s Qinwen Zheng, 15th. in the WTA ranking, which she beat the Ukrainian Dayana Yastremska (93) this Thursday.
Sabalenka made it clear that she is in a great moment and reached the definition at Melbourne Park without giving up sets. In the duel against Gauff, fourth seed, he won 7-6 (7-2) and 6-4 in one hour and 44 minutes of play. Now the history between the two favors the American, who won four of the seven times they met on the WTA circuit, including the final of the United States Open that was played in September 2023.
The Belarusian, 25 years old and born in Minsk, measures 1.83 meters and won the Oceanic Open in 2023 by beating the Kazakh Elena Rybákina 4-6, 6-3 and 6-4. While she seeks to achieve her second major title, Sabalenka immersed herself in the fight for number one in the world ranking, a place she briefly accessed in 2021 and which is currently commanded by the Polish Iga Swiatek.
Her rival for the title will be the surprising Chinese Qinwen Zheng, who beat the Ukrainian Yastremenka 6-4, 6-4 in one hour and 37 minutes of play. Zheng is 21 years and 109 days old, making her the second-youngest Asian athlete in the Open Era to reach her first Grand Slam final, only older than Japan’s Naomi Osaka, who was 20 years and 325 days old when reached the final of the 2018 US Open.
The Chinese has already secured a rise to seventh position in the WTA rankings and has the chance to rise one more place if she defeats Sabalenka in the final on Saturday.
As for the semifinals of the men’s draw, the Serbian Novak Djokovic (1) will face the Italian Jannik Sinner (4) at 0:30 on Friday, and the Russian Daniil Medvedev (3) will face the German Alexander Zverev (6), from 5.30.
