Eurosport host and commentator Barbara Schett has praised Aryna Sabalenka for rising to the occasion and defeating her “few demons” as she brushed aside Coco Gauff in the semifinals of the 2024 Australian Open.
Former World No. 1 Mats Wilander asserted that the scores were closer than the match suggested because of fighting spirit and hailed Sabalenka for clarity in her game plan.
The Belarusian put up a strong show to beat Gauff 7-6(2), 6-4 in the final four on Thursday to avenge the last year’s US Open loss.
Gauff, WTA #4, downed Sabalenka 2-6, 6-3, 6-2 in the US Open final in last September to seal her maiden Major title and the latter declared that she is looking for a revenge. The 19-year-old has proven to be a tricky opponent for Sabalenka since the pair first met in 2020 and she has now improved her head-to-head against the American to 3-4.
The 25-year-old will next face the winner of Qinwen Zheng and Dayana Yastremska in the Australian Open final on Saturday as she vows to win back to back titles at Melbourne Park.
Talking on Eurosport, Schett was in awe of Sabalenka’s powerful hitting and praised the World No. 2 for keeping a check on her nerves in crucial moments.
“Very impressive performance by Aryna Sabalenka. The conditions are a bit cooler today and you think conditions are gonna be a little bit slower, but when you’re sitting courtside watching Aryna Sabalenka, the power she hits those shots…,” said Schett.
“Especially in that second set towards the end where it was getting tight again, she stuck to her game plan, she fought a few demons you could see that she was getting a little bit nervous towards the end of the first set serving that one out, and also the second set,” the Austrian added.
“She really, really impressed me so much. I don’t think she loves playing against Coco Gauff like she said during the on-court interview. But she’s done an amazing job.”
7-time Grand Slam Champion Wilander lauded the 2023 US Open Champion Gauff for making the clash difficult for Sabalenka, but concluded that the aggressive approach and the indoor conditions helped Belarusian win the match.
“Honestly, I think the score was closer than the match actually was, but that’s Coco Gauff I think, she just fights so hard and when you lose your rhythm a little bit – Coco Gauff is gonna be there,” said the Swede.
“She gets to everything, she has a lot of variety and obviously she makes extremely well. But again, in the tiebreaker – just a little bit too good, Sabalenka. She’s very clear in her game plan and I think it’s similar to what happened to Alexander Zverev yesterday, when you get such a good start.
“From my own experience, it’s like, ‘okay I might be in a tiebreaker, but I’m doing the right thing, I should have won the first set.’ Of course if she loses the tiebreaker – completely different match.
“But I thought the game plan was very clear and the indoor conditions I think really favor Sabalenka when you play that kind of style.”