25-year-old Aryna Sabalenka defended her Australian Open title on Saturday, defeating China's Zheng Qinwen 6-3 6-2 to win her second Grand Slam.
Sabalenka, who is Belarusian but competes under a neutral flag because of Belarus's support of Russia against Ukraine, is the first woman since compatriot Victoria Azarenka in 2013 to win the title in consecutive years.
Second-seeded Sabalenka was the heavy favourite after Iga Swiatek's elimination in the third round. 21-year-old Zheng was 12th-seeded, the meeting with Sabalenka her first major final.
Sabalenka had dropped only 16 games on her way to the semi-finals, where she met Coco Gauff, who defeated her in the US Open final last year. Sabalenka avenged that meeting 7-6 (7-2) 6-4 in Melbourne.
Dominant against Zheng on Saturday, Sabalenka won in a little over an hour and a quarter, conceding just five games — the fewest in an Australian Open final since 2012.
"I'm super happy that I was able to get this win today," said Sabalenka after calling Zheng "a great player and very tough opponent."
"I wanted to show that I'm able to be consistently there and I'm able to win another [Grand Slam]. I really hope [for] more than two right now, but for me was really important."
"It's been in my mind that I didn't want to be that player who wins and then disappears."
