The self-titled ‘queen of double faults’ began with that self-inflicted wound but finished with an astounding turnaround
Aryna Sabalenka started the final with a double fault and ended on the ground sobbing. It was, in a way, the story of her previous 12 months. Last year, the Belarusian was the self-described “queen of double faults” – a tour-high 440 of them last season. She also operated at the behest of her own emotions, stripped of her agency when confronted with an opponent’s defiance.
She became a champion on Saturday because she bested both – and, in turn, Elena Rybakina. She brought herself to heel after losing the first set and after each of the 10 break points she engineered but did not win.