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Aryna Sabalenka won the second Grand Slam title of her career by defeating Qianwen Zheng in the final of the Australian Open on Saturday morning.
The 25-year-old went into the competition as the favourite, especially given her sensational win over Coco Gauff in the semi-finals earlier this week.
And Sabalenka produced a tennis masterclass to triumph on Rod Laver Arena and add another major achievement to her growing collection.
The Belarusian was too strong for her opponent from the start and won the first three games of the match with minimal trouble.
Aryna Sabalenka wins Australian Open for the second time by defeating Qianwen Zheng
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Zheng eventually managed to get on the scoreboard and save three set points after being down 5-2.
But Sabalenka was not going to be denied the first set and eventually took it 6-3 and got the platform to advance.
Zheng was clearly intimidated by her opponent’s talent.
And he had a very bad start in the second set, having to double fault three times due to increasing pressure.
Sabalenka won the opening game of the second set as her opponent gave her the points.
From that moment on, there was only going to be one winner.
Zheng was appearing in her first Grand Slam final after a spirited campaign Down Under.
However, her lack of experience on the big stage was evident with Sabalenka being superior in every department.
Zheng managed to avoid going down 3-0 in the third game of the second set after Sabalenka pushed her all the way.
However, her opponent increased her lead to 3-1 and moved closer to victory in the process.
A beautiful drop shot then put Sabalenka on the verge of becoming the first woman since compatriot Victoria Azarenka to defend the title.
Zheng managed to save four championship points as she faced defeat, playing her best tennis of the match.
But Sabalenka finally got the job done and looked emotional after winning the tournament for the second time.
This will be a moment to enjoy for the tennis star.
However, for Zheng, it will be a case of licking her wounds and getting going again when the French Open begins at the end of the year.
Aryna Sabalenka produces tennis masterclass to clinch Australian Open glory and second Grand Slam title of her career
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Former Wimbledon champion Pat Cash was impressed with Sabalenka’s performance as she led her to victory.
And he described the Australian Open champion’s performance as ‘absolutely flawless’.
He said, “She’s as present as it gets. Sabalenka came out aggressive.”
“She knew she had the speed to upset Zheng for the first time in a Grand Slam final.
“Zheng had never seen anything like this because he had not played any of the top 50 players the whole time.
