Australian Open: Aryna Sabalenka, beats opponent, retains women’s title

Aryna Sabalenka underlined why she had long been considered the Australian Open favourite by overpowering Zheng Qinwen to retain the women’s title.

Belarusian second seed Sabalenka won 6-3 6-2 to claim her second Grand Slam singles trophy without dropping a set.

With 12th seed Zheng backed by fanatical Chinese support, a composed Sabalenka sucked the energy out of her opponent and the crowd in a fast start.

She is the first woman to win back-to-back since Victoria Azarenka in 2013.

Sabalenka, 25, who became the strong favourite after top seed Iga Swiatek was beaten in the third round, emulated her compatriot Azarenka with a victory that took little over an hour.

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Zheng, 21, was playing in her first major final and often looked overawed – by both the occasion and her opponent.

The rare moment of uncertainty in a dominant performance by Sabalenka came when she was trying to close out victory and needed to save a rare breakpoint before taking a fifth championship point.She took this with a clean forehand crosscourt winner, turning to her team with both arms lifted towards the sky before blowing a kiss. BBC