Belarusian defeats Rybakina to finally fulfill expectations
MELBOURNE: Aryna Sabalenka got down to the ball and watched it float long before flipping around and falling on her back. Rod Laver Arena exhaled. A flood of tears, a howling storm of emotion washed over the strapping Belarusian, who has been climbing the rankings and dancing around the winner's circle these past seasons. Thrice she came up just short, falling in the semifinals. On a windswept Saturday she blasted through the gates to claim her first Grand Slam title – the Australian Open.
