Laura Robson says no one has come close to Aryna Sabalenka’s level as she aims to defend her Australian Open title as the overwhelming favourite against maiden finalist Qinwen Zheng.
World No 2 Sabalenka is the first player to reach consecutive finals at Melbourne Park since Serena Williams in 2015-17 and she is aiming to be the first woman since Victoria Azarenka in 2013 to successfully defend the title at Melbourne Park.
Sabalenka was the player beaten by Coco Gauff at the US Open but the Belarusian has put together an impressive sequence of Grand Slam results, reaching at least the semi-finals of six straight tournaments.
She turned the tables on Gauff in the last four and is yet to drop a set.
“I don’t think anyone’s come close to Aryna’s level this tournament,” Robson told Sky Sports.
“She is just hammering everyone. People are struggling to get gains against her serve and she’s returning so much freer and playing so big.”
Known as a very emotional player, Sabalenka has maintained an impressively even keel so far, and she said: “I think I’m pretty calm inside like I am outside.
“I’m defending champion but, worst case, I’m going to lose this tournament and it’s less points to defend next year. That’s helping me to just stay focused and just try your best in each match without thinking about defending something.”
One bizarre superstition Sabalenka has maintained through the tournament is drawing her signature and other doodles on fitness coach Jason Stacy’s bald head.
“Our first day here, there was some kid wanted a ball signed,” Stacy said. “She’s, ‘Ah, no problem’. So she signed my head as a joke.
“Then every day it’s like a routine to sign my head. Non-match day, she just draws some random picture. They played tic-tac-toe on my head the other day. She won, by the way, so it’s good.
“Then on match day she just signs it and does random stuff. Just part of the process.”
Taking on Sabalenka will certainly be a big step up for the 21-year-old Zheng, who is playing in a major for only the ninth time.
She is the only player in the last 40 years to win six matches over opponents ranked outside the top 50 en route to a Grand Slam final.
“My dream is not just the final. I’m almost there but I know this little distance is still far away,” said Zheng, who is the first Chinese player since trailblazer Li Na here in 2014 to make a Grand Slam final,
Extra motivation for Zheng came last September when coach Wim Fissette ended their brief partnership to return to work with Naomi Osaka.
Zheng made her feelings known but linked back up with Spaniard Pere Riba, who first began coaching her as a 17-year-old.
He cannot speak highly enough of Zheng, saying: “I never see in my life a player with the work ethic that she has.
“The first week that we started to work, a long time ago, I say, ‘OK, 7am, and then we go to practise’. Then we practise a lot of hours. I say, next day the same, next day the same. I was thinking that after four or five days she’s going to say, ‘I’m tired’.
“Sometimes we are getting angry because she wants to do more and I have to stop her. You can imagine the dreams that Qinwen has, that she really wants to be there in the top, and I’m really, really happy for her because she deserves it.
“Still she is so young. She’s improving every single month and still has a lot of margin to improve. She arrived with very good feelings. She arrived really motivated. And, if she plays her game, she will have her chances.
“But, of course, all of us, we know Aryna and we know it’s going to be a really complicated match.”
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