CNN
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Belarusian-born Aryna Sabalenka defeated Elena Rybakina in three units to win an exhilarating ladies’s Australian Open last Saturday, turning into the primary participant competing beneath a impartial flag to safe a grand slam.
Amid the continued battle in Ukraine, event organizer Tennis Australia required Russian and Belarusian gamers to compete as neutrals.
Outplayed within the opening set, Sabalenka got here from behind to overpower the reigning Wimbledon champion 4-6 6-3 6-4 in a outstanding turnaround in Melbourne.
Breaking Rybakina’s serve within the seventh recreation of a tense third set proved to be the essential breakthrough for the fifth seed, whose venomous serve and intense groundstrokes in the end paved the way in which for her success.
A nervous begin from Sabalenka – she made 5 double faults and gained solely 4 factors on the second serve within the first set – made it appear as if it might be a routine second grand slam for Rybakina as she secured the primary set in 34 minutes.
However Sabalenka discovered accuracy in addition to energy within the second and third units, with Rybakina faltering at essential phases. The Russian-born Kazakh, who can be an enormous hitter, noticed off three championship factors however despatched a forehand lengthy on the fourth and Sabalenka fell to the bottom, lowered to tears on wining her maiden main.
She celebrated by climbing to the gamers’ field the place her coach, Anton Dubrov, could possibly be seen sobbing right into a towel.
“I’m nonetheless shaking and tremendous nervous,” she informed the spectators in her on-court speech earlier than the presentation.
On receiving the trophy from Billie Jean King, Sabalenka thanked the American nice for her pioneering work for the ladies’s recreation, and went on to thank her crew, whom she described because the “craziest on tour.”
“We’ve been by a whole lot of downs final yr,” she mentioned. “We labored so laborious, you guys deserve this trophy, it’s extra about you than about me. Thanks a lot for every little thing you do for me. I really like you.”
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