10:01
Zheng – Sabalenka 1:3
Now the outsider hits hard, swings easily and secures quick points. Sabalenka doesn’t get a return, so Zheng makes it 3-1.
09:58
Zheng – Sabalenka 0:3
Sabalenka secures the 3-0 with five points in a row! Zheng is doing well in the rallies, but the 21-year-old still misses too many balls into the net under pressure from the baseline.
09:56
Zheng – Sabalenka 0:2
The defending champion survives this pressure situation and forces her opponent to make mistakes. With a backhand winner against Zheng’s direction, she sets up a deuce.
09:54
Zheng – Sabalenka 0:2
Zheng gets three break points! The Chinese woman misses her first chance because her forehand longline ticks way too far back. 15:40, more pressure for Sabalenka!
09:53
Zheng – Sabalenka 0:2
Sabalenka comes to the net somewhat hastily and is passed by her opponents on the second attempt. Then the Belarusian misses a forehand inside-out, is there any chance of a rebreak here? 0:30!
09:51
Zheng – Sabalenka 0:2
Sabalenka gets the break! Zheng has to make the second attempt and is surprised by the return to the backhand. Once again the Chinese hit the ball out of bounds and the Belarusian is now 2-0 ahead.
09:50
Zheng – Sabalenka 0:1
Now serve Zheng! Sabalenka comes right into the first rally and secures the score: 0:15. The Chinese gets a point for a return error, but then she makes too many mistakes of her own and is quickly behind 15:40 – two break points!
09:48
Zheng – Sabalenka 0:1
Two aces follow, which Zheng cannot reach. With the score at 40-0, the Belarusian has to make the second attempt, but in the short rally the world number 12 gets too long with her forehand and the defending champion takes a 1-0 lead.
09:47
Sabalenka opened
The title holder serves first and can secure the first point with her forehand cross.
09:42
The warm-up is underway
The start is getting closer: Zheng and Sabalenka are currently getting together, and in just a few minutes it will finally start!
09:35
Players are not there yet
The Rod Laver Arena is already full, but the audience is still waiting for the players to arrive. However, it shouldn’t take long!
09:21
That’s what matters in the finale
The two finalists have faced each other once so far, Sabalenka beat the Chinese in straight sets in the quarterfinals of the last US Open. Then as now, the serve is particularly important for both players: Zheng has hit 48 aces so far and is clearly leading the women’s ranking – Sabalenka hit 24 aces, but is at the top of the double fault ranking. She gave up the point 35 times with two tricky attempts in a row. The Belarusian still goes into the match as the favorite because only a few opponents can cope with her aggressive and powerful style of play. An advantage for Zheng could be that the two players often trained together in preparation for this tournament, so the 21-year-old was able to adapt to Sabalenka and perhaps knows one or two weak points.
09:15
Sabalenka can’t be stopped?
Sabalenka didn’t come into any trouble during the tournament, as the world number two only needed just under seven hours of play, didn’t drop a single set and more than deservedly reached the final in Melbourne. With Krejcikova and Gauff there have recently been serious opponents from the top 10. The goal of last year’s winner is clear: Sabalenka wants to defend her title and thus lay the foundation for a successful season. Hard courts seem to suit the Belarusian particularly well, as she reached the last three Grand Slam finals on this surface – Victoria Azarenka (2012/2013) last achieved this.
09:09
First Grand Slam or title defense?
While the young Chinese is in the final of a Grand Slam for the first time, Sabalenka is about defending her first major. Zheng has been on the court for over 11 hours so far and has taken an unusual route to the final: the 21-year-old only met unseeded players throughout the tournament and made it to the final, something no player has achieved since 1995. If Zheng wins the Australian Open, it would be her first Grand Slam and at the same time she would become the second Chinese woman ever to win a major. So far only Li Na has achieved this with her successes in Roland Garros (2011) and Melbourne (2014).
08:59
Welcome to the women’s final!
Good morning and welcome to this year’s Australian Open final. From 9:30 a.m. Qinwen Zheng and Aryna Sabalenka will face each other in the Rod Laver Arena.