AS IT HAPPENED: Aryna's Arena! Sensational Sabalenka defends Aus Open title in third-fastest final ever

The Australian Open women’s singles champion will be crowned tonight when Aryna Sabalenka takes on Zheng Qinwen at Rod Laver Arena. Join The Roar for live scores and coverage of the action from 7:30pm (AEDT).

For Sabalenka, this is a chance for the world no.2 to win her second grand slam title and her second Australian Open. For Zheng, it is new territory – her best result in a relatively short career has been the quarter-finals at last year’s US Open.

Sabalenka has enjoyed a great run during this year’s Australian Open, not losing a set along her way to the final. Her 7-6 6-4 semi-final win over Coco Gauff was her toughest to date, with both players playing great tennis before the Belarusian star exacted some revenge for her US Open final defeat.

Zheng has only been playing Grand Slam tournaments for two years, so her rise to 15 in the world has been nothing short of meteoric. She will enter into the WTA top 10, win or lose tonight.

Zheng has had some fortune in the tournament, not playing a seeded player until the final. In the semi-finals, she comfortably defeated Ukrainian Dayana Yastremska 6-4 6-4. She has arguably the heaviest forehand in women’s tennis, and that will need to be on song to challenge Sabalenka.

Prediction

Zheng’s quarter-final run at the 2023 US Open was brought to a halt by Sabalenka 6-1, 6-4. That is the only time these two have played.

Zheng has improved since then, but Sabalenka’s form over the last fortnight has been superb and it’s difficult to see anything other than a second slam for the second seed.

Sabalenka in straight sets.

Match Information

Venue: Rod Laver Arena
Start Time: 7:30pm (AEDT)
TV: Channel 9
Streaming: Stan Sport
Betting: Sabalenka $5.00, Zheng $1.18 – odds via PlayUp

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