Aryna Sabalenka tamed her nerves to blast her way to a maiden Grand Slam title at the Australian Open with a 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 win over Kazakh 22nd seed Elena Rybakina on Saturday in a thrilling final featuring two power-hitters in the women’s game.
Sabalenka’s 11th straight win of the year will propel the Belarusian fifth seed back to her career-high ranking of #2 — behind Poland’s Iga Swiatek — as she reaps the rewards of an improved playing mindset in the New Year.
Success has followed a period of introspection and change for the 24-year-old, who often appeared to let her emotions halt her progress on the grandest stage with three previous semi-final defeats at the majors.
She dropped her sports psychologist in pre-season and also worked with a biomechanics trainer to improve her fiery serve, which tended to fail her in big moments in the past.
“It is even more enjoyable after all those tough matches,” Sabalenka told reporters. “I feel right now that I needed those tough losses to understand myself a bit better. It was like a preparation.”