Tennis: Fiery Sabalenka and unfazed Rybakina promise power-packed Australian Open final

MELBOURNE – Two of the biggest hitters in women’s tennis go toe-to-toe when Aryna Sabalenka and Elena Rybakina clash in Saturday’s Australian Open final.

But in essence, it is also a battle of two players with contrasting personalities.

Belarusian fifth seed Sabalenka, 24, is in the form of her life and on the brink of a maiden Grand Slam crown.

She comes into the showpiece under the Rod Laver Arena lights on a 10-match unbeaten streak in Australia, having won the Adelaide International and is yet to drop a set in 2023.

She has also defeated Wimbledon champion Rybakina in all of their three previous meetings.

Sabalenka is brutal in her serves, her muscles generating spin and driving the ball through the court.

It is a trait she has always possessed but was often stymied by her fractious nerves. But not in 2023 as she finally won a Grand Slam semi-final at the fourth attempt against the unseeded Pole Magda Linette.

Rybakina, 23, has coolly moved through the draw, unaffected by the snub of her opening match being shunted out to the wilderness of Melbourne Park’s Court 13.

The Russian-born player, who now represents Kazakhstan, has accounted for three Grand Slam champions on her way to the final, including world No. 1 Iga Swiatek.

Jelena Ostapenko and Victoria Azarenka followed on the back of Rybakina’s dominant serve, which has smacked down 45 aces so far, more than any other.

Her graceful power appears effortless at times, emanating from clean ball-striking and immaculate timing.

The 22nd seed will be full of confidence heading into her second Grand Slam final in the past seven months. She has lost only one set during the Australian Open fortnight, and that was against 2022 runner-up Danielle Collins.

But if her first serve deserts her, Rybakina can come under pressure, as happened against the combative Azarenka in the semi-finals when she was broken three times.

The powerful game of both players will be in the spotlight on Saturday, but this Grand Slam final will also be a mental test.

Rybakina is self-contained and difficult to read, maintaining an even keel throughout her matches. She reacted to her victory against Azarenka with a clenched fist and only a hint of a smile.

She was described by her coach as a “sweetheart”, but it masks a steely confidence which has propelled her into the title-decider.

The 1.84m Rybakina is so in the zone that she remained unbothered when placed in Court 13 for her first-round match, unusual for a current holder of a Grand Slam title. “I really don’t care on which court I play,” she said.

Her attitude and personality are what make her a special talent, noted her coach Stefano Vukov.

“She’s a wonderful girl. She listens, listens a lot. That’s very rare, I think,” he said on the eve of the final.

“She’s involved 100 per cent into the sport, into what she does. Very calm, stoic, but a sweetheart, definitely, with amazing family, amazing parents.

“No one really puts pressure on her. So super easy to deal with. Super simple girl.”

Unlike Rybakina, who seems unfazed even when Vukov is barking at her from the player’s box, the 1.82m Sabalenka wears her heart on her sleeve.

She is very expressive – rolling her eyes, fluttering her lips, shrieking with delight and frustration, chuckling when shots hit the net cord and fall her way – or do not.

She is anything but subdued, grunting on her shots and sometimes after her shots and often increasing the volume and velocity on big points.

It is all positive energy, though, after working tirelessly in 2022 with her coaches, a sports psychologist and biomechanics specialist.

“I was trying to do less screaming after some bad points or some errors,” she said. “I was just trying to hold myself, stay calm, just think about the next point.

“I’m still screaming ‘c’mon!’ and all that stuff. Just less negative emotions.”

Sabalenka is now so confident of handling her emotions – demonstrated as she smoothly fought back from 2-0 down in the first set against world No. 45 Linette – that she has dispensed with her sports psychologist.

“I realised that nobody other than me will help,” she added.

There will be a first-time champion at Melbourne Park on Saturday, and there will be no shortage of full-cut, high-velocity tennis along the way – even if the emotions are drastically different. AFP, NYTIMES, REUTERS