In an attempt to win a second Grand Slam championship, Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina will compete against fifth seed Aryna Sabalenka in the Australian Open final on Saturday.
Kazakh Rybakina is competing in her second major final in as many months, while Belarusian Sabalenka is competing in her first Grand Slam singles final.
At Wimbledon, everything was brand-new, according to world number 25 Rybakina.
Even though it's a final, it will always be nerve-wracking, at least now I know roughly what to expect. ".
British national champion in the meantime. Mr. Alfie Hewett. will try to increase his record of six Grand Slam wheelchair singles victories by adding a first Australian Open victory.
On the same day that he and Gordon Reid won their 16th Grand Slam doubles championship at Melbourne Park, Hewett, 25, takes on Japanese 16-year-old Tokito Oda.
Beginning at 8:30 GMT, BBC Radio 5 Sports live will provide commentary on the women's final, in addition to live text commentary on the BBC Sport website and mobile app (UK only).
Rybakina, a rising star, seeks greater success.
In her second appearance in a Grand Slam final, Rybakina has another opportunity to win a major trophy.
Due to her low profile and an unexpectedly low ranking brought on by the All England Club's decision not to award points last year, the 22nd seed has been one of the least-publicized Wimbledon champions in recent memory.
She has used her talent, which propelled her to victory at SW19, to fight her way through an unfavorable draw despite having to start the tournament on a small outside court.
The 23-year-old defeated 2017 French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko in the round of 16 before defeating world No. 1 Iga Swiatek. She also had notable victories over 2022 runner-up Danielle Collins.
Rybakina has already fired 45 aces in the final, and Sabalenka has slammed 196 winners, so it is expected to be a game of powerful hitting.
Sabalenka wants to put an end to the Slam wait.
By defeating unseeded Pole Magda Linette in the semi-finals to advance to the match with Rybakina, Sabalenka made a significant career advancement.
The world number five had advanced to the final four at Wimbledon in 2021, the US Open in 2021, and the Australian Open in 2022, but she had lost all three of her prior Grand Slam semi-final matches.
Before the first major of the year, the Adelaide International warm-up tournament, the 24-year-old won all 10 of her matches and won the title without dropping a set this year.
Sabalenka has consistently been predicted to win a singles Slam title, but she frequently falters under pressure. But she thinks that learning to control her emotions both on and off the court has helped her form.
"I came to the realization that only I can provide assistance. My psychologist and I spoke during the offseason, and I told her, "Listen, I feel like I have to deal with that by myself, because every time I hope someone will fix my problem, it's not fixing my problem," Sabalenka said.
"I just have to accept this responsibility and deal with that," she said. Psychologist for me. ".
Hewett, who is currently ranked first, hopes to end his Australian Open wait.
After being defeated by former world number one Shingo Kunieda in the finals of Wimbledon and the US Open last year, Briton Hewett has won six major singles titles to date, split between the French Open and US Open.
Hewett, however, assumed the top spot prior to the competition after the legendary wheelchair tennis player from Japan retired, and he is currently just one win away from ending his wait for a solo triumph in Melbourne.
Oda, a young Japanese man, stands in his way on this particular occasion, but Hewett promises to give it his all on Saturday after his doubles victory.
I'm excited for the chance to go out there and change that outcome because it's one I really want because this is my third consecutive singles final, Hewett said.
Tomorrow, I'm going to give it my all, just like I always do," he continued.
"He's a young, talented kid who brings a lot of talent to our sport," the author said. My prediction is that it will change. We'll have to wait and see tomorrow how he handles the situation given how well he's handling the ball and how aggressively he's playing.
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