WATCH: Zheng Hits Umpire With Missed Return During Australian Open Final

| by Zachary Wimer

Qinwen Zheng didn't have the best time in her maiden Grand Slam final as she proved no match for Aryna Sabalenka at the 2024 Australian Open.

Zheng put together an impressive fortnight to make it to her maiden Grand Slam final. She didn't have the strongest draw but she still went out and beat multiple solid players on her way to the final.

The final itself was a huge challenge as she played against a player she failed to beat a few months ago at the US Open. That match was a pretty comfortable win for Sabalenka, and the Australian Open final would prove similar.

Sabalenka loves to play in Melbourne because she won the event last year and played extremely well this year to make another final. In the final, Sabalenka easily outplayed her opponent to win the match in two sets, successfully defending her trophy.

Zheng struggled to keep up with Sabalenka from the baseline because the Belarusian was just too strong. She's too strong for many opponents, and her power is very hard to match

Sabalenka Defends Her Australian Open Crown After Yet Another Dominant Win
Sabalenka Defends Her Australian Open Crown After Yet Another Dominant Win

A situation early in the match against Zheng proved just that as the Chinese player tried to handle a serve of Sabalenka that ultimately proved too strong for her. She tried to return it to the court, but it didn't work out that well because the ball actually hit the umpire's chair.

It wasn't a hugely devastating hit for the umpire, but Zheng immediately apologized. The match continued, as the hit happened during the play, so the Chinese player obviously wasn't disqualified.

However, Zheng never quite found a good return rhythm, losing the match in two sets. An unfortunate ending but a realistic one, as Sabalenka was the better player on that day and also during the event, cruising towards her second career Grand Slam title.

Sabalenka Planning 'Big Party' To Celebrate Second Australian Open Title
Sabalenka Planning 'Big Party' To Celebrate Second Australian Open Title

Read the full article

Just in

Look at more articles