MELBOURNE, Jan. 26 (BNA): Ariana Sabalenka says she will feel a little nervous when she takes to the court to face Elena Rybakina in the women’s Australian Open final, according to the Associated Press.
Saturday’s contest is, after all, Sabalenka’s first Grand Slam singles match. Rybakina is more familiar with this stage: she won Wimbledon a little over six months ago.
Sabalenka is the No. 5 seed; Rybakina is No. 22. Sabalenka is 24 years old from Belarus; Rybakina is a 23-year-old Moscow-born youngster who began representing Kazakhstan in 2018 when that country offered to fund her tennis career.
Rybakina is the first woman since Jennifer Capriati in 2001 to beat three former Grand Slam champions in one edition at Melbourne Park.
That run includes victories over three-time slam winner Ija Switek, 2012-13 Australian Open champion, and 2017 French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko, along with Danielle Collins, runner-up to Melbourne a year ago.
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