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Aryna Sabalenka lifted the women's singles trophy at the 2023 Australian Open on Saturday, winning her maiden Grand Slam title by overcoming Elena Rybakina in a three-set battle in the final.
Sabalenka did not find her footing in the beginning, with five double faults in the first set. Rybakina, on the other hand, made a strong start and won the set 6-4, forcing the Belarusian to drop her first set of the tournament.
However, she found her rhythm soon and came from behind, derailing Rybakina in the second set. She kept her momentum up in the final set, broke the Kazakh's serve and was up 5-4 serving for the championship.
The 22nd seed kept fighting and came close to breaking Sabalenka's serve back, saving three championship points. Sabalenka eventually came out on top 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, celebrating with tears of joy and relief after the victory.
Receiving her trophy from tennis legend Billie Jean King, the World No. 5 congratulated her opponent for reaching the final and wished her well in an emotional winner's speech at the presentation ceremony.
"I want to thank Miss King, she has done so much for our sport. Congratulations, Elena. Hopefully, we will have many more battles, hopefully in the final of grand slams," she said.
She also thanked the crowd for their support and turned to her player's box to express gratitude towards her team.
"Thank you everyone, and thanks guys for an amazing atmosphere. It was an enjoyable tournament to play in. Thanks to my team, they are the craziest team on the tour. You guys deserve this trophy more than me. I hope next year I come back even stronger and I will show you even better tennis," she added.
On that note, let's look at some of the milestones that the World No. 5 has achieved with her epic Australian Open championship win:
#1 Aryna Sabalenka becomes the second Belarusian player to win a Grand Slam
With her win, Sabalenka became the second Belrusian player, male or female, to win a Grand Slam tournament singles title. She follows compatriot Victoria Azarenka, who won the 2012 and 2013 Australian Open titles.
With three Grand Slams, Belarus remains ahead of the likes of Argentina, Canada, Latvia, Kazakhstan and China, and level with Poland and Romania in terms of WTA Major trophies in the Open Era.
#2 29th different women's player in the Open Era to secure the title at the Australian Open
First held in 1922, the Australian Open women's championship has been staged 110 times. Sabalenka joins the illustrious list of champions at the tournament as the 29th different women's player in the Open Era to lift the trophy.
The Australian Open has now seen four different winners in the last four years -- Sofia Kenin (2020), Naomi Osaka (2021), Ashleigh Barty (2021) and Sabalenka (2023). In the Open Era, Serena Williams has the most titles at the Melbourne Major with seven to her name, followed by Margaret Court, Steffi Graf, Evonne Goolagong and Monica Seles (four each).
#3 58th different WTA player in the Open Era to secure a Grand Slam title
Women's tennis has seen the domination of players like Serena Williams with 23-Grand Slam title wins and Steffi Graff with 22-Grand Slam titles. The Belarusian has now joined their likes, securing her spot as the 58th different women's player in the Open Era to win a Grand Slam title.
Aryna Sabalenka is now part of a group of active players like Barbora Krejcikova, Emma Raducanu, Jelena Ostapenko, Sloane Stephens and Elena Rybakina, who are in the pursuit of their second Grand Slam.
#4 5th female player in the Open Era to win her maiden Grand Slam final after a comeback win
With a thrilling three-set victory, Aryna Sabalenka became the fifth female player in the Open Era to win her maiden Grand Slam final after a comeback win.
Previously, Nancy Richey, Jelena Ostapenko, Sofia Kenin and interestingly, her opponent at the summit clash of the Australian Open, Elena Rybakina, have also emerged victorious from one set down in their first ever Grand Slam final.
Last year at Wimbledon, Rybakina lost the first set before clinching the title 3-6, 6-2, 6-2 against Ons Jabeur.
