Why is Aryna Sabalenka's Australian Open final dream extra special with dying wish shared with father

Aryna Sabalenka will experience a special final at the 2024 Australian Open, as she has the opportunity to achieve her and her father's significant goal: winning a pair of Grand Slams by the age of 25. Sabalenka's father passed away in 2019, and this will be the last chance for the Belarusian to fulfill this dream, as she will turn 26 by the next Grand Slam – the French Open in May.

During the 2023 season, Sabalenka secured her first Grand Slam at the Australian Open and featured prominently in the Netflix series "Break Point," where she shared details about her relationship with her father. She expressed her frustration as, at 24, she had not yet won a Slam despite maintaining a top-5 ranking for several years.

Sabalenka had the opportunity in the previous final of the 2023 US Open to claim her second Grand Slam, but she fell to the 19-year-old local player Coco Gauff, who secured her first Slam at Flushing Meadows. Interestingly, Sabalenka faced Gauff in the semifinals of the Australian Open and avenged her previous loss to reach the final, still at the age of 25.

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Final against Qinwen Zheng

Sabalenka's opponent in the final comes as a surprise, considering the early exits of players like Iga Swiatek, Elena Rybakina, and Jessica Pegula. The draw opened up for lower-ranked players, and it is the 12th seed, Chinese player Qinwen Zheng, who reached the final to challenge Sabalenka.

At 21 years old, Zheng reached her first Grand Slam final and dreams of achieving glory against Sabalenka. In the semifinals, she defeated the Ukrainian qualifier Dayana Yastremska (6-4, 6-4). However, facing Sabalenka in the final will be her first match of the tournament against a top-50 player.

Their only previous encounter was in the quarterfinals of the 2023 US Open, with Sabalenka winning 6-1, 6-4. In that match, the Belarusian was dominant and did not give her opponent any chances. Nevertheless, Zheng has shown evolution since then and is poised to put up a fight at the Rod Laver Arena, aiming to create an upset.

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