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MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) – Aryna Sabalenka won her first Grand Slam title by coming back to beat Elena Rybakina 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 in the Australian Open women’s final Saturday.
The 24-year-old Sabalenka, who is from Belarus, was appearing in her first major final.
She improved to 11-0 in 2023, and the only set she has dropped all season was the opener on Saturday against Wimbledon champion Rybakina.
But Sabalenka turned things around with an aggressive style that resulted in 51 winners, 20 more than her opponent. She used 17 aces to overcome seven double-faults. And she managed to break the big-serving Rybakina three times, the last coming for a 4-3 lead in the third set that she never relinquished.
Aryna Sabalenka wins her first Grand Slam title on day 13 of the Australian Open women's final in Melbourne Park, claiming the Daphne Akhurst Memorial Cup after beating Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan on Jan. 28, 2023. (Quinn Rooney/Getty Images)
Sabalenka needed to work for the championship, double-faulting on her initial match point and requiring three more to close things out.
When Rybakina sent a forehand long to cap the final after nearly 2 1/2 hours, Sabalenka dropped to her back on the court and stayed down for a bit, covering her face as her eyes welled with tears.
MARIA SAKKARI RAGES AT AUSTRALIAN OPEN OVER OPPONENT'S SCREAMING DURING MATCH
Belarus' Aryna Sabalenka reacts after scoring a point against Kazakhstan's Elena Rybakina during the women's singles final. (WILLIAM WEST/AFP via Getty Images)
Sabalenka 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.
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Elena Rybakina, left, and Aryna Sabalenka, pose for a photo ahead of the women's singles final at the Australian Open tennis championship.
After much prodding from her team, 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.
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.
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