Aryna Sabalenka celebrates Australian Open win with victory dance, inches closer to WTA top spot
On Saturday, Aryna Sabalenka competed against Zheng Qinwen in the Australian Open grand slam final. The 25-year-old Belarusian asserted her dominance throughout the match, ending with a solid 6:3, 6:2 win. Sabalenka, the WTA co-leader, impressively defended the title she won last year. Remarkably, she didn't lose a single set in this year's tournament held on Melbourne's courts.
After such a stellar tournament, it was no surprise to see Sabalenka in high spirits. During her interview with Barbara Schett, she was asked to reprise her victory dance from the year prior.
Without hesitation, Sabalenka joyfully brought last year's dance moves to life. The tennis player started hopping, alternating arm raises. Following along, the journalist began imitating her moves. The clearly entertained 25-year-old Sabalenka couldn't hold back her laughter. Schett was thoroughly impressed with Sabalenka's buoyant performance.
"That was a victory dance, and you're a rock star," summed up the journalist with a smile.
Aryna Sabalenka is angling to reclaim her position as the WTA leader, a title currently held by Iga Świątek due to her fantastic end-of-season performance. The 22-year-old Pole climbed her way back to the top of the world rankings after winning a tournament in Cancun, Mexico. In the competition semi-finals, Iga defeated the Belarusian smoothly, with a score of 6:3, 6:2.
Thanks to her victory in the Australian Open, Sabalenka is now trailing Świątek by just 865 points. Over the next weeks, the Belarusian will undoubtedly push to validate her excellent form and aim for the top position on the WTA leaderboard. This year's Melbourne court victory marked her second grand slam singles title win. In addition, Sabalenka has two doubles title wins.
