Talk About Tennis 2.0

Rod Laver Arena
Day session - From 8:00pm EST

Junior Girls' Singles • Final
M. Andreeva 7 vs A. Korneeva 9
Day session - Not before 9:30pm EST
Junior Boys' Singles • Final
A. Blockx 3 vs L. Tien
Night session - From 3:30am EST

Women's Singles • Final
E. Rybakina 22 vs A. Sabalenka 5
Men's Doubles • Final
R. Hijikata WC/J. Kubler WC vs H. Nys/J. Zielinski

Margaret Court Arena
Day session - From 8:00pm EST

Women's Wheelchair Singles • Final
D. De Groot 1 vs Y. Kamiji 2
Quad Wheelchair Singles • Final
N. Vink 1 vs S. Schroder 2
Men's Wheelchair Singles • Final
A. Hewett 1 vs T. Oda 3

Sabalenka in three.
It might be a very good final, if they both bring on their best game.

It's a toss up. Aryna has been playing well but I still think it's possible she will flake out in the Final.

Sabalenka 3-0 lifetime against Rybakina, so this could be fun

Yes... and Sabalenka was 1-5 vs. Vekic before the other day.
It means nothing.

A 6-4 set in 34 minutes.
That was fast. And a lot of winners. But the DF's are making a dent.

Now, having lost the 1st set, we'll see if Sabalenka gets nervous and starts pressing (and missing).
This will be a real test of her mental evolution/progress to this point. If she can maintain her focus (and remain relatively calm) - even if she loses the 2nd set -, it will show that she has indeed progressed in this area.
If not, well... same old, same old...

Sabalenka didn't falter in the 2nd set - at least, not for more than a few points. She didn't seem nervous - she wasn't tentative. She maintained her focus and her aggressiveness, which shows genuine confidence.
It seems that she has indeed progressed emotionally/psychologically.

Of course, the 3rd set will be another test of that...

The winners/UE count is telling. This is high quality. But the total numbers are both for Sabalenka. The match is going through her.

The Belarusian flag - which was shown during ESPN's coverage of the semi-finals - is absent again in today's coverage of the match - replaced by the stupid and inappropriate white flag of surrender.
It should be solid blue - like the background under the names of the players.

I think the most appropriate word here is: FINALLY!
Many people saw that she’s had the game to do these things for a few years now - but she had to wait for her mind to catch up with her physical abilities.

And FINALLY for all those fans who kept predicting over the past few years that she would win a big one...

It’s not my preferred type of tennis - I prefer a crafty, creative variety to the in-your-face power game... But she is definitely good. To hit those shots with power and precision requires talent, to be sure.

Bravo to her!

Congratulations to Sabalenka - I only caught the 3rd set, but they were both hitting the cover off the ball.

And now it's Rinky's turn to see if he and his partner Jason Kubler can become the first Australian team in 25 years 1 year to win their home Major.
Their opponents are Jan Zielinski and Hugo Nys.

Both teams are unseeded. Rinky and Jason are WildCards. They are the surprise of the tournament thus far - two guys not highly ranked, using the energy they've gotten from the home crowd to fuel their momentum... beating the top seeded team along the way...

Can't say I particularly like Sabalenka, but it was at last indeed. I'm pretty sure now she'll win a few more. There are no other dominant players who'd prevent that.