SUMMARY
- Aryna Sabalenka has so far been the best performer at the 2024 Australian Open.
- Aryna Sabalenka shared a few superstitions she has started at Melbourne.
Aryna Sabalenka started this season by recording two bagels in her first two matches at Brisbane. She went on to reach the finals and lost to Elena Rybakina. Sabalenka’s form has been sublime at the 2024 Australian Open so far. She has been bringing new changes to her warmups. Sabalenka revealed her latest pre-game ritual at Melbourne.
The Belarusian spoke about signing on her trainer’s head during the first-round match. After she had won the match, it became a part of her training ritual. Sabalenka has since been signing on top of Jason Stacy before every match. She said, “We just like to do weird s***, guys! He’s not happy with that, but he understands everything.” The sign on Stacy’s head was seen during the fourth-round match.
Why is Sabalenka signing her fitness coach’s head ✍️
Well, we’ll let her explain…😂@SabalenkaA • #AusOpen • #AO2024 pic.twitter.com/8FhDaiA8CC
— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) January 21, 2024
Heads up! 😂@SabalenkaA • #AusOpen • #AO2024 pic.twitter.com/Qp75Db0T7o
— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) January 21, 2024
Fans also watched Sabalenka kick toys off Stacy’s head before her fourth-round match. The rituals so far have been working in favor of the defending champion. Sabalenka has not dropped a set in her first four matches at the event. After the exit of Iga Swiatek, Sabalenka has become the top seed. She will aim to be the first player in 11 years on the WTA tour to defend her title in Melbourne.
Aryna Sabalenka continues title defence with triumphant win at Melbourne
Four of the two quarterfinal matches have been confirmed at the Australian Open. The remaining two fixtures will be confirmed on 22nd January. Sabalenka has been the favorite to win the title, given her flawless victories so far. She faced Amanda Anisimova in the fourth round. It was expected to be a tense encounter as neither player had dropped a set till the fourth round.
Anisimova and Sabalenka had played five matches on the tour prior to their fourth-round matchup. The American had four victories over Sabalenka. But at Melbourne, Sabalenka began both sets by breaking Anisimova’s serve. The world No.2 dominated the games from the net and baseline. Sabalenka was winning the short and long rallies.
The 25-year-old only lost four points on her first serve during the match. The former No.21 only got one chance at breaking Sabalenka’s but could not convert the point. Sabalenka is one win away from reaching her sixth consecutive grand slam semifinal. She will face Barbora Krejcikova in the quarterfinal as the Czech player aims to reach the semifinals in Melbourne for the first time.