Sabalenka Starts Strong Title Defense at Australian Open
Last year's champion Aryna Sabalenka made a strong start to defend her title at the Australian Open.
According to the news of Ravi Ubha , 14 January 2024¸ Aryna Sabalenka was eager to begin her title defense at the 2024 Australian Open. And once she stepped on court, she wasted no time.
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Sabalenka handed 18-year-old German qualifier Ella Seidel a tough Grand Slam debut, defeating her 6-0, 6-1 in 53 minutes at Rod Laver Arena on Sunday night. Sabalenka set the tone for the match with a first serve that drew a return into the net on the opening point of her defense.
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Indeed, things moved quickly, unlike in the previous match at Rod Laver Arena when Novak Djokovic beat another 18-year-old qualifier, Dino Prizmic, in four hours.
This meant that Sabalenka and Seidel began their clash at around 11:40 p.m. local time. Defending a Grand Slam title for the first time can be daunting, but Sabalenka told reporters in the lead-up that she was happy to be back and buoyed by a good pre-season.
Her pre-AO preparations in Brisbane would have done little to quell that. Even though Sabalenka lost to Elena Rybakina – the player she downed in last year's high-quality final at Melbourne Park – she stormed to the final.
Two seasons ago, it was all so different for the 25-year-old. Plagued by double faults and serving woes which she has never been shy to discuss, Sabalenka fell in the fourth round to Kaia Kanepi as the second seed. (Photo: beIN Sports)
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