GOLF NEWS: Aryna Sabalenka defeated Coco Gauff and faces Zheng Qinwen as………

Aryna Sabalenka defeated Coco Gauff and faces Zheng Qinwen as………

Aryna Sabalenka is on course to retain her Australian Open title after reaching the Melbourne final and avenging her loss to Coco Gauff in last year’s US Open final.

Sabalenka, Belarus’ second seed, defeated American fourth seed Gauff 7-6 (7-2) 6-4 in a nail-biting semi-final. Both were tense in an error-filled opening set, with six breaks, before Sabalenka capitalised decisively late in the second. Sabalenka will meet Zheng Qinwen, the Chinese 12th seed, in the final on Saturday.

Zheng, 21, advanced to her maiden Grand Slam final by defeating Ukrainian qualifier Dayana Yastremska 6-4, 6-4 in the second semi-final on Thursday. Zheng hopes to become the second Chinese woman to win the Australian Open singles championship, on the tenth anniversary of Li Na’s legendary achievement. “It feels unbelievable,” Zheng admitted. “I’m super excited to have such a great performance and arrive in the final.”

Sabalenka demonstrates why she is the title favourite…

The clash between Sabalenka and Gauff at the season’s first Grand Slam was highly anticipated. Both players had impressed as they progressed through the draw, setting up a rematch of their exciting US Open final, which 19-year-old Gauff won in September for her maiden major triumph. It took place under the roof of Rod Laver Arena, as did the second semi-final, due to heavy rain in Melbourne. Sabalenka had been particularly dominant, and after overcoming difficult stretches against Gauff, she had yet to drop a set in the last two weeks.

The 25-year-old Belarussian unleashed her explosive game on Gauff from the outset, hitting 33 wins and attacking her opponent’s second serve in a high-octane display of power. While Sabalenka’s style still leads to errors, she appears to be more at comfortable at Melbourne Park this fortnight, having won her maiden major here. She became the first woman to reach back-to-back finals since Serena Williams in 2017.

I believe I was able to focus on myself, and I was prepared for her to move really well and put every ball back,” said Sabalenka, who has reached at least the semi-finals in the last six majors. “I had to be ready to make an extra shot and I was ready for tonight.”

Gauff won in New York, overcoming a setback to defeat Sabalenka, fulfilling what had long appeared to be her destiny. Sabalenka failed to repeat the feat this time, as her unblemished start to the 2024 season came to an end. Gauff arrived in Melbourne after winning a WTA title in Auckland and went unbeaten in her first four matches. However, after edging out Ukraine’s Marta Kostyuk in what she described as a “bad” quarter-final, she appeared nervous in the early portions of the semifinal. Gauff’s anxiousness was shown in six double faults in the opening set, but she also demonstrated her ability to mentally reset when she twice recovered from a break down.