The women’s final will see two players with similar approaches to the game: big serves and big hitting at the baseline.
What all seemed so different, so daunting, even, about trying to win a grand slam title to Elena Rybakina a little more than six months ago is now coming rather naturally.
That could come in handy Saturday, when she will face No. 5 seed Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus. Sabalenka reached her first grand slam title match at age 24 by beating unseeded Magda Linette 7-6 , 6-2 in Thursday’s second semi-final.Sabalenka improved to 10-0 in 2023, winning all 20 sets she has contested this season.
The key to both semifinals turned out to be a first-set tiebreaker. Azarenka lost the mark on her strokes, for the most part, making things smoother for Rybakina, while Sabalenka raced to a 6-0 lead in hers. It wasn’t the case that each and every shot Sabalenka hit landed right on a line, but it must have seemed that way to Linette.“In the tiebreaker, I really found my rhythm,” Sabalenka said. “Started trusting myself. Started going for my shots.
It was breezy and chilly at Rod Laver Arena from the start of Rybakina vs. Azarenka, with the temperature dipping below 70 degrees Fahrenheit .
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