Aryna Sabalenka is in the final of the Australian Open. The favorite from Belarus clearly prevailed against Elina Svitolina from Ukraine.
World number one Aryna Sabalenka lived up to her role as favorite against Elina Svitolina and moved into the final of the Australian Open with a score of 6:2, 6:3. The Belarusian prevailed against her opponent from Ukraine with a concentrated performance. The final will take place on Sunday at 9:30 a.m. German time in the Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne.
Svitolina with problems on the first serve
An intense game developed in the first set. Sabalenka set a high pace that her opponent could only keep up with to a limited extent. For Svitolina, despite a committed performance, the first serve became a problem. The Ukrainian only made 53 percent of her first serves in the first set and was therefore often under pressure in the second. Sabalenka made the most of this and clearly won the first set 6-2 after 41 minutes.
Sabalenka turns the second set confidently
The first serve went a little better for Svitolina in the second set, she even took a 2-0 lead at the beginning of the second set. Nevertheless, even in this phase she didn’t have much to counter the precise tennis of the world number one. The Belarusian succeeded in almost everything, winning the next five games. After just one hour and 16 minutes she converted her first match point to make it 6:3 in the second set.
Criticism of Sabalenka because of Russian war of aggression
During the course of the tournament, the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine was also a topic among the athletes. Belarus is allied with Russia, Sabalenka starts in Melbourne under a neutral flag. In the past, Ukrainian players have repeatedly accused her of not taking a clear position against the Russian war of aggression. Sabalenka reacted with incomprehension. There was no handshake between the Ukrainian and the Belarusian after the game.
On Saturday, the world number one will face either Jessica Pegula from the USA or Jelena Rybakina from Kazakhstan in the final.
