“Aryna Sabalenka and Madison Keys gave fans great emotions in the final of the Australian Open Grand Slam tournament. The match lasted over two hours, and the winner won the decisive third set 7:5!” – wrote Paweł Matys from Sport.pl after the Australian Open final. Thus, the Belarusian failed to win for the third time in a row in Melbourne. However, the American could enjoy the first Grand Slam tournament triumph in her career.
Aryna Sabalenka was very moved after losing the Australian Open final
If Aryna Sabalenka won in Melbourne for the third time in a row, she would repeat the feat of Martina Hingis, who won the Australian Open in 1997-1999. However, this did not happen and the last tennis player to win the Grand Slam tournament three times in a row is Iga Świątek. The Pole has triumphed in Roland Garros 2022-2024.
After the last ball of the match, you could see the disappointment on Aryna Sabalenka's face. Even before approaching the net, she addressed a few words to her team, as if not believing that it was over.
After warmly thanking herself for playing against Madison Keys, Aryna Sabalenka took out her anger and disappointment on her racket, which she smashed on the court. After that, she sat down in her chair and, deeply moved, buried her head in the towel. The Belarusian lost the match so badly that she had to leave the court at Rod Laver Arena for a moment.
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The leader of the world ranking, of course, returned to the trophy ceremony and although she was disappointed, she congratulated Madison Keys' triumph with class and her characteristic humor and lightness and thanked her staff and fans in Australia.