China's Zheng toppled by ruthless Sabalenka in Australian Open final

Aryna Sabalenka (R) of Belarus and Zheng Qinwen of China pose for photos during the awarding ceremony for the women's singles final at Australian Open tennis tournament in Melbourne, Australia, Jan. 27, 2024. (Xinhua/Wang Shen)

MELBOURNE, Jan. 27 (Xinhua) -- China's Zheng Qinwen had her Grand Slam dreams crushed on Saturday as second seed Aryna Sabalenka defended her title in style at the Australian Open.

Sabalenka capped her sparkling form at Melbourne Park with a convincing 6-3, 6-2 victory in 76 minutes.

In her first Grand Slam final, 12th seed Zheng was the underdog against the big-hitting Sabalenka, who had swept all before her and not dropped a set in the tournament.

21-year-old Zheng started nervously and dropped her first service game before she settled to put the Belarusian under major pressure at 40-0. But Sabalenka lifted her level to get out of trouble and then raced through the first set.

Sabalenka gained a stranglehold when she broke in the first game of the second set and overcame some resistance from Zheng to secure the first title defence by a woman in Melbourne since Victoria Azarenka in 2013.

"In this match, I started pretty slow. Also, I didn't play my tennis there. The difference is the beginning, I [couldn't] hold the service game. Then later on, when I got the chance to break her 40-0 up, I was not able to make it. That little moment makes the match so different," Zheng said at a post-match conference.

"She's a really aggressive player. If you let a chance go, it will happen like today... Basically, I think I could have done much better than that," she added.

Zheng fell short of a first Major title, but managed to live up to the hype during her run in Melbourne after a breakout 2023 yielded her two titles and a spectacular quarterfinal run at the US Open.

She pushed through an unpredictable women's draw at the Australian Open and did not face a seeded player before the final.

But Zheng was unable to break a 10-year Grand Slam title drought in singles for Chinese players. Li Na, Zheng's idol, remains the only major winner in singles for China, having memorably won at Roland Garros in 2011 and three years later in Melbourne.

But Zheng will have the consolation of cracking the top 10 in the rankings for the first time.

"Maybe I have to work more on my tennis, also work more on my mental side, work more on myself to be able to [get] through this moment. Because if you lose, there must be a reason behind why you lose, and we have to try to figure out why and then come back stronger and better next time," said the 21-year-old.

Zheng Qinwen of China reacts during the awarding ceremony for the women's singles final at Australian Open tennis tournament in Melbourne, Australia, Jan. 27, 2024. (Xinhua/Wang Shen)

Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus poses with her champion trophy during the awarding ceremony for the women's singles final at Australian Open tennis tournament in Melbourne, Australia, Jan. 27, 2024. (Xinhua/Wang Shen)

Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus poses with her champion trophy during the awarding ceremony for the women's singles final at Australian Open tennis tournament in Melbourne, Australia, Jan. 27, 2024. (Xinhua/Wang Shen)

Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus holds her champion trophy during the awarding ceremony for the women's singles final at Australian Open tennis tournament in Melbourne, Australia, Jan. 27, 2024. (Xinhua/Wang Shen)

Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus poses with her champion trophy during the awarding ceremony for the women's singles final at Australian Open tennis tournament in Melbourne, Australia, Jan. 27, 2024. (Xinhua/Wang Shen)

Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus lifts up her champion trophy during the awarding ceremony for the women's singles final at Australian Open tennis tournament in Melbourne, Australia, Jan. 27, 2024. (Xinhua/Wang Shen)

Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus kisses her champion trophy during the awarding ceremony for the women's singles final at Australian Open tennis tournament in Melbourne, Australia, Jan. 27, 2024. (Xinhua/Wang Shen)