Social media reacts to Australian Open last

Aryna Sabalenka ascended to the ranks of Grand Slam champion on Saturday after coming from a set right down to defeat Elena Rybakina 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 within the Australian Open last.

Sabalenka, 24, prolonged her profitable streak to 11 straight matches, having additionally gained Adelaide 1 to begin her season. She has now gained 4 three-setters in opposition to Rybakina in as many encounters.

Rybakina, who gained her first main at Wimbledon final yr, backed it up by knocking out three straight Grand Slam champions — Iga Swiatek, Jelena Ostapenko and Victoria Azarenka — to succeed in a second last. The 23-year-old Rybakina will break the High 10 because of this.

The two-hour, 28-minute contest was too near name for a lot of its length and had social media abuzz till the top. After Sabalenka sealed her fourth match level, tributes started to pour in from the tennis world.

Fellow main champions Bianca Andreescu and Victoria Azarenka had been amongst these congratulating Sabalenka, together with two-time Grand Slam finalist Ons Jabeur and former Indian Wells titlist Paula Badosa. Jabeur additionally provided a cheeky reasoning behind Sabalenka’s success.

Daria Saville had live-tweeted all through the match, and the Australian congratulated each finalists afterwards. She additionally famous a sure similarity between Sabalenka’s pose when holding the trophy, and when holding Saville’s sausage canine Tofu earlier within the fortnight.

Congratulations additionally got here in from a few of Sabalenka’s overwhelmed opponents in Melbourne: Magda Linette, whom she defeated within the semifinals, and Donna Vekic, whom she ousted within the quarterfinals.

WTA Legend Billie Jean King had offered Sabalenka with the Daphne Akhurst Memorial Cup and wrote that she had been “honored” to take action.

Congratulations additionally got here from Sabalenka’s someday doubles companion Elise Mertens, with whom she gained the 2019 US Open and 2021 Australian Open, and fellow high tenners Coco Gauff and Jessica Pegula.

Former gamers and commentators together with Laura Robson, Teliana Pereira and Barbara Schett-Eagle additionally provided reward. Robson described the match as “a pleasure to observe,” whereas Pereira wrote: “Aryna Sabalenka deserved that title a lot! I liked the ultimate, effectively performed and on the finish I virtually died — dramatic!” 

Coach Judy Murray additionally described the ultimate as “a tremendous showcase for girls’s tennis.”

Former World No.1s Kim Clijsters, Ana Ivanovic and Tracy Austin additionally congratulated Sabalenka. Like Sabalenka, Clijsters’ path to her first main was not easy — the Belgian misplaced 4 Grand Slam finals earlier than breaking by way of on the 2005 US Open, and happening to gather 4 main titles. In the meantime, 2008 Roland Garros champion Ivanovic suggested the latest member of the Grand Slam champion membership: “Benefit from the second.”

Australian ATP nice Rod Laver additionally provided his congratulations to the finalists, writing:

“Congratulations on profitable your first main, Aryna Sabalenka. You fought arduous all the best way with nice energy and fervour. Unhealthy luck tonight, Elena Rybakina, your poise underneath stress is an excellent trait. A traditional contest between two elegant opponents.”

Official match accounts additionally paid tribute to Sabalenka, together with a few of her earlier websites of victory akin to Madrid and Linz. In the meantime, the Kazakhstan Tennis Federation confirmed like to Rybakina.