MELBOURNE (Reuters) – Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus defeated Lesia Tsurenko of Ukraine with a 6-0 6-0 victory at the Australian Open on Friday.
There was a political tension in the background of their match as last year, Tsurenko withdrew from a scheduled game against Sabalenka after suffering a panic attack when discussing tennis’s response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which was staged in Belarus.
Sabalenka, the reigning champion and second seed, does not have an official national affiliation due to the conditions imposed on Russian and Belarusian players by tournament organizers since the invasion.
The match was one-sided as Sabalenka quickly secured a win in just 52 minutes, with Tsurenko failing to score a single point.
Instead of a traditional handshake, the players simply waved to each other at the end of the match.
Sabalenka expressed her happiness about Tsurenko’s return to the top following the match.
Sabalenka only lost one set in her run to her first Grand Slam title last year and has continued to perform well this season, conceding only six games in three matches so far.
The 25-year-old mentioned that she is striving to match the ruthlessness of the world number one player, Iga Swiatek, in her playing style.
Sabalenka is aware that she may face a tougher challenge in the fourth round against Amanda Anisimova, who has been performing well in the tournament despite being ranked 442nd in the world.
Sabalenka is looking forward to a competitive match against Anisimova.
(Reporting by Nick Mulvenney, editing by Michael Perry)
