MELBOURNE – The meteorological bureau may not have a record of it, but the weather at Rod Laver Arena on Jan 27 night was decidedly turbulent. It involved a Belarusian force of nature, who first blew away her rival and then blew a kiss to the heavens.
Aryna Sabalenka, the Australian Open women’s defending champion, is 1.82m and wields a racket like a blacksmith’s hammer. She hits, sparks fly and wonderful things are forged. On Jan 27, it was another Grand Slam title as she dominated China’s Zheng Qinwen 6-3, 6-2 in 76 minutes in a performance of imperiousness and authority. The young woman from Shiyan has been brave, but the Belarusian was breathtaking.
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