Melbourne [Australia], January 31 (ANI): Kazakhstan’s Elena Rybakina made historical past, changing into the primary Kazakhstan participant to seize the Australian Open girls’s singles title, defeating the top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka in a three-set contest on Saturday.
This is her second main title after the Wimbledon 2022 title, having change into the first-ever Kazakhstan to win the Wimbledon as nicely. The world quantity 5 provides one other first to her resume, beating Sabalenka 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 to safe the title, as per WTA’s official web site.
She has now avenged the loss again in 2023 by Sabalenka, when she was first denied the Aussie glory simply months after successful the Wimbledon title.
At the Rod Lever Arena, the 26-year-old Kazakh star took two hours and 18 minutes to win the title, putting 28 winners to begin off the yr with a Grand Slam.
The trophy was introduced to her by Jennifer Capriati, the Australian Open girls’s singles champion in 2001 and 2002, as per the match’s official web site.
They entered the Grand Slam remaining with out dropping a set, first since Wimbledon 2008 and the primary in Australia since 2004.
In their fifteenth head-to-head match-up, it was Rybakina’s class which earned her the victory. The fifth seed broke Sabalenka in her opening serving recreation, and her photographs had been clear and highly effective
This win makes Rybakina the sixth participant within the Open Era to safe her first two main titles on grass and laborious courtroom after Amelie Mauresmo, Lindsay Davenport, Maria Sharapova, Maria Hingis and Venus Williams. She can also be the primary to safe the Australian Open singles girls’s crown by beating high three ranked gamers, since Naomi Osaka received it again in 2019. (ANI)