Australian Open LIVE: Aryna Sabalenka faces Qinwen Zheng in women’s final

Aryna Sabalenka on Qinwen Zheng: “Well, I think her forehand is really heavy. Yeah, and she’s moving well also. Fighting for every point.

“Yeah, I think her forehand is really, I don’t know, yeah, her best shot. I would say forehand, it’s quite heavy. Yeah, she played really great tennis, putting her opponents under pressure, playing really aggressive tennis, and I think that’s why she’s — she will be top 10, right? That’s why she’s in top 10.”

Aryna Sabalenka vs Qinwen Zheng head-to-head

Sabalenka and Zheng have only played once before but it was at a grand slam. Sabalenka defeated Zheng 6-1 6-4 in the US Open quarter-finals last season, which before the Australian Open was the furthest Zheng had got in a grand slam.

When is the Australian Open women’s final?

Aryna Sabalenka will face Qinwen Zheng in the Australian Open final on Saturday 27 January. The final will be start at 8:30am GMT (UK time).

You can watch the Australian Open live on Discovery+ and Eurosport in the UK. The action will be broadcast on Eurosport’s TV channels, or fans can tune into Discovery+ to stream the tournament, where an Entertainment & Sport pass is available for either £6.99/month or £59.99/year.

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Defending champion Aryna Sabalenka takes on Qinwen Zheng in the Australian Open women’s singles final as the Belarusian targets back-to-back titles in Melbourne. A year on from beating Elena Rybakina and claiming her first grand slam, Sabalenka stands on the brink of a second major crown and is the huge favourite against the first-time finalist Zheng, the 12th seed.

Sabalenka continued her impressive Australian Open defence as she passed her toughest test of the tournament so far against Coco Gauff in the semi-finals, gaining revenge for September’s US Open final defeat. The World No 2 is yet to drop a set this tournament and has been in dominant form behind her powerful serve and forehand in racing through the draw.

Zheng defeated Ukrainian qualifier Dayana Yastremska 6-4 6-4 in the semi-finals and the Chinese player is looking to replicate childhood idol and former Australian Open champion Li Na with victory in Melbourne – 10 years on from Na’s breakthrough triumph as the first Chinese player to win a major.

Follow live scores, updates and results from the Australian Open women’s final in today’s live blog: