“Too easy”, “Pure dominance” – Paula Badosa, Ana Ivanovic, & others rush to congratulate Aryna Sabalenka on 2nd Australian Open title

Aryna Sabalenka received congratulatory wishes from top tennis stars, including Paula Badosa and Ana Ivanovic, after winning her second consecutive Australian Open title.

The Belarushing thrashed China's Zheng Qinwen 6-3, 6-2 in the final played at Rod Laver Arena on Saturday, January 27. She won the title in 2023 as well, defeating Kazakhstan's Elena Rybakina in the summit clash.

Sabalenka dominated Zheng from the word go as she produced six break points and converted three. Furthermore, she won a total of 62 points to send the Chinese packing in an hour and 17 minutes.

The Belarusian's peer and best friend Paula Badosa took to Instagram and declared that she was the deserved winner.

"Too easy. Aryna Sabalenka you deserve it all. What a champ," Badosa wrote.

Australian tennis icon Rod Laver joined Badosa in congratulating the champion.

"Once you’ve tasted major success it’s hard to stop. Congratulations on a second AO title Aryna Sabalenka, no holding you back. Rocket," Laver wrote on X (formerly Twitter).

The 2008 French Open winner Ana Ivanovic chimed in, writing:

"Pure dominance by @SabalenkaA - Congratulations on defending your title in Melbourne Strong performance throughout the tournament physically and mentally! Also well done Zheng on reaching the final."

Here are a few more reactions from the tennis fraternity:

Daniela Hantuchova and Amanda Anisimova's Instagram stories

Ashleigh Barty's congratulatory message to Aryna Sabalenka

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Aryna Sabalenka wins the Australian Open 2024 without dropping a set throughout

Aryna Sabalenka

Aryna Sabalenka won all her matches at the Australian Open 2024 in straight sets. She started her campaign against Germany's Ella Seidel in the first round, breaking her opponent's serve five times and dishing out a bagel to earn a 6-0, 6-1 win. In the second round, she defeated the Czech Republic's Brenda Fruhvirtova 6-3, 6-3.

The World No. 2 thumped Ukraine's Lesia Tsurenko with double bagels. She had her serve challenged by Tsurenko on occasion but managed to fend the break point off to win the match 6-0, 6-0.

The Belarusian met Amanda Anisimova from the USA in the fourth round at Melbourne Park. She dominated Anisimova with her serve and smashed a total of six aces to clinch a 6-3, 6-2 win.

In the quarterfinals, she locked horns with ninth seed Barbora Krejcikova, who broke her serve twice. However, Sabalenka broke Krejcikova six times and finished the match with a scoreline of 6-2, 6-3 in her favor.

Sabaleka's biggest test came in the form of reigning US Open champion Coco Gauff in the semifinals. She faced stern resistance from Gauff, particularly in the first set that went into a tiebreak. However, Sabalenka shifted her gears in the second set to secure the match 7-6 (2), 6-4.