Magda Linette for the first time in her career played in the second week of the Grand Slam tournament and immediately in the semi-final, but in it she had Aryna Sabalenka as her rival. The Belarusian has not lost a single match this year. Well, she didn’t even give away a set! It is also the fifth rocket in the world. However, the Polish woman has already defeated higher ranked players in the ongoing Australian Open – in the fourth round she even eliminated Caroline Garcia (4th WTA). Therefore, before the semi-final, one could hope that her beautiful dream would last.
The brave heart of a Polish woman, but Sabalenka was too strong
The beginning of the match was perfect for the Polish woman, who broke her opponent to zero in the first game. However, she did not keep this advantage for too long and despite leading 40:0 in the third game, Sabalenka “broke” the 30-year-old to 2:2. Linette sometimes showed extraordinary fortitude and ambition. – she tried to respond to her opponent’s moves with a deep return, she sent several winners along the line, both from the backhand and forehand, she stayed close to the end line. Dawid Celt, Eurosport commentator and former coach of the Polish woman, said that he was rubbing his eyes in amazement at how his former charge countered Sabalenka’s aggressive game.
From 2:2 in the first set, none of the players even had a break point. The Polish woman was in a difficult situation with the score 5: 6 and her serve, but she got out of 0:30. The first set was decided by a tiebreak. The extra game, however, was Sabalenka’s show. She quickly got two minibreaks and Linette’s situation became very difficult. More points escaped and it was the Belarusian, winning to one, who won the first set.
The second set is a continuation of the Poznań player’s problems. We managed to get out of 0:30 and keep the service gem, but the rival gained a break a moment later. Despite the service problems, she confirmed the break and the situation became more and more difficult. Linette fought for every game, for every point, but on the other side of the net stood a phenomenally fit rival who punished every shorter ball, every bad pass with a very strong top-down play.
In the following minutes, the advantage of the Belarusian only increased. Again, she broke the Polish woman, who had less and less hope to turn the tide of the match and faded in the eyes. She was still playing at a high level, still placing single points, but the rival was simply better that day.
With the score at 1:4, Linette had two more chances to break with a great lane backhand. Such a hit is already her trademark. Sabalenka, however, showed class again, especially with her serve, and jumped away from Poland. In the end, Sabalenka beat Linette 7:6, 6:2. On Sunday, she will play Elena Rybakina from Kazakhstan for the title.
For Linette, the tournament in Melbourne is over, but she can still be proud of herself. It was great tennis!
Source: Sport
Tristin is an accomplished author and journalist, known for his in-depth and engaging writing on sports. He currently works as a writer at 247 News Agency, where he has established himself as a respected voice in the sports industry.
