WATCH: Superstitious Aryna Sabalenka pats her good luck charm on the head after she achieves a historic Australian Open win!

Aryna Sabalenka continues her tradition of touching her trainer's bald head as she wins the 2024 Australian Open title over Qinwen Zheng.

WATCH: Superstitious Aryna Sabalenka pats her good luck charm on the head after she achieves a historic Australian Open win!

Aryna Sabalenka Australian Open (Image via: X)

World No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka continues to reign supreme at Melbourne Park as she retains her singles title. Playing in the 2024 Australian Open finals against Qinwen Zheng, the Belarusian eased to the title.

She won the match 6-3, 6-2 in just 1 hour and 16 minutes to win her second career Grand Slam singles title. Her dominance at the tournament was visible in the finals, and she clinched the title without losing a set throughout the fortnight. 

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Taking an early lead and control of the first set, the Belarusian did not leave any window of opportunity for Zheng to make a comeback.

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The Chinese youngster looked overwhelmed owing to playing in her first-ever Grand Slam singles finals. Hoping to repeat her idol Li Na‘s feat from 2014, Zheng fell at the final hurdle.

Following her title, Sabalenka raised her hands in delight before shaking hands with her opponent. She was quick to race to her box as her coaching team started the celebrations. The Belarusian did not forget her lucky charm, and before returning to the court, she duly tapped the bald head of her trainer. 

The numbers behind Aryna Sabalenka’s finals win

It was one of the most one-sided finals in the history of the Australian Open, and the stats backed the claim. Qinwen Zheng served six aces to Sabalenka’s three, but she also made six double faults to zero for the Belarusian. 

Aryna Sabalenka
Aryna Sabalenka (Credits: Sky Sports)

While the defending champ hit only 14 winners to the 12th seed’s 19, she also hit 3 winners, while Zheng managed only 1. The two women had an equal number of return unforced errors, 3 apiece. The Chinese, however, made 16 unforced errors, while Sabalenka kept it down to 14.  

The former World No. 1 won 3/6 breakpoints, while Zheng failed to capitalize on any of the 4 she had on offer. As a result, Sabalenka won the title with 62 points to her name, while Zheng settled for the runners-up trophy with 46 points. 

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