Aryna Sabalenka’s long-awaited confirmation as a grand slam champion and a corker of an Australian Open final were a welcome balm for the WTA as the women’s tour seeks to move on from a bruising loss of star power.
Challenges lie ahead, however, as the circuit negotiates a tricky geopolitical landscape and a scheduling impasse with the lucrative Chinese market.
After years of struggling with nerves on the biggest stage, 24-year-old Sabalenka’s three-set win over Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina in the final at Melbourne Park gave the big-hitting Belarusian her first grand slam title.
Now world No.2 and boasting one of the most powerful games in women’s tennis, she looms as a major threat to top-ranked Pole Iga Swiatek, who she beat at the WTA Finals.
The development of a proper rivalry between the pair would be a tonic for the WTA which has produced few of note in recent years and recently lost Serena Williams, a player that transcended the sport, to retirement.
Sabalenka’s hopes of shaking up the women’s game may be taken out of her hands at Wimbledon, however, if Russian and Belarusian players remain banned from the grasscourt grand slam.
Iga Swiatek. File picture
Sabalenka, along with all Russian and Belarusian players, missed Wimbledon last year after organisers controversially excluded them as a consequence of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which Moscow calls a “special operation”.
The ban had other consequences that are still being felt today, with players who competed at Wimbledon unable to earn ranking points. The loss of points was a setback for some players, not least the champion Rybakina.
Her ranking has now jumped 15 places to 10th as a result of her run to the final at the Australian Open, which should help the Russia-born Kazakh’s bid for a second Grand Slam title to add to her Wimbledon trophy.
China factor
The Australian Open provided another reminder of the strength of women’s tennis in China as Zhang Shuai and Zhu Lin reached the last 16 of the singles.
The Chinese men’s game, long overshadowed by the success of the country’s women, also showed promise as teenager Shang Juncheng became the first Chinese man to win a main draw match at the Australian Open in the professional era.
China’s abandonment of its zero-Covid policy is expected to pave the way for the return of international tennis after a three-year hiatus, and the ATP has three events in the country listed in its 2023 calendar.
The WTA’s schedule remains blank after the US Open, however, with no clarity on tournaments to be held in China pending a resolution to the Peng Shuai issue.
Former world No.1 doubles player Peng accused a senior Chinese government official of sexual assault in 2021 in a post on social media. She later denied having made the accusation.
The WTA has called for a formal investigation into Peng’s allegations.
