Aryna Sabalenka tops Stefanos Tsitsipas' forehand speed in victorious Australian Open final
Aryna Sabalenka stunned the tennis world when she earned her career's first Grand Slam title at the 2023 Australian Open on Saturday, January 28. Another aspect that stood out was her fierce groundstrokes, some of which were quicker than those on the men's circuit.
In a clash of the first-time Melbourne finalists, Sabalenka showed extraordinary fortitude. She foughback fromom a set down to defeat Elena Rybakina 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 in two hours and 28 minutes in the summit clash on Saturday. The two power hitters entertained the crowd with their extremely strong groundstrokes.
With her victory, the Belarusian will return to her career-high ranking of No. 2 on Monday. Meanwhile, Rybakina, who won the 2022 Wimbledon, will break into the top 10 for the first time. Sabalenka also improved her head-to-head against the Kazakh to 4-0.
While the 22nd-seed Rybakina broke her opponent twice over the course of the match, the fifth-seed converted three break points. Sabalenka broke in the seventh game of the deciding set to lead 4-3.
It was noted that her forehand speed increased significantly in that game, leaving behind even players like Novak Djokovic and Stefanos Tsitsipas. The Belarusian player's forehand speed averaged 87 mph, whereas the men's finalists were hitting in the early 80s.
"Per Laura Robson on world feed: these two are hitting it 7 mph harder than Tsitsipas off the ground," a fan tweeted.
Sabalenka hitting way bigger than any of the men https://t.co/6cckgdFtu0
When Sabalenka was to serve for the championship at 5-4 in the third set, Rybakina made it quite difficult for her. The 10th game lasted for over nine minutes. The eventual winner could not convert the first three match points. She fell to the ground and tears of joy could be seen when she finally won the battle.
"It’s more about you than me" - Aryna Sabalenka thanks her team after winning Australian Open
Aryna Sabalenka beat Elena Rybakina in the 2023 Australian Open final at the Rod Laver Arena. At the trophy-presentation ceremony, the new World No. 2 congratulated her opponent and expressed gratitude towards her own team members.
“I’m still shaking and super nervous,” Aryna Sabalenka said. “I want to congratulate Elena for an incredible two weeks. You're such a great player and we're going to have many more battles, hopefully, in the finals of the Grand Slams."
"My team, the craziest team on tour, I would say. We’ve been through a lot of ups and downs in the last year. We worked so hard. You guys deserve this trophy, it’s more about you than me," she added.