2024 Australian Open Womens Champion Media Opportunity
Aryna Sabalenka’s Australian Open win has been warmly celebrated by her team, and her hitting partner Andrei Vasilevski wasn’t to be left out of the party. Aryna Sabalenka recently shared a picture on social media of Vasilevski’s daughter cheekily holding the Daphne Akhurst Memorial Cup.
The Belarusian won her second Australian Open title last month, defeating 21-year-old Chinese star Zheng Qinwen 6-3, 6-2 in the final. On Tuesday (February 6), Sabalenka posted a picture showing Vasilevski’s daughter standing beside the Australian Open trophy and hilariously holding one handle with her two hands.
Aryna Sabalenka found the moment lovely and captioned her Instagram story accordingly.
“My love 💓” – Sabalenka captioned
Vasilevski, who turned pro in 2009, is currently inactive. He played his last professional match in the final of the 2022 Pau Challenger men’s doubles, partnering Romain Arneodo. They lost to the duo of Elliot Benchetrit and Eliakim Coulibaly.
The 32-year-old Belarusian won his first and only doubles title at the 2021 Belgrade Open, partnering with Jonathan Erlich.
Looking back at how Aryna Sabalenka clinched the 2023 and 2024 Australian Open titles
Aryna Sabalenka won her second Grand Slam title at the 2024 Australian Open, becoming the first woman since Victoria Azarenka (2012-13) to win back-to-back titles in Melbourne.
At the 2023 edition, Sabalenka kicked off her campaign by defeating Tereza Martincova in the first round. She followed that up with a victory against America’s Shelby Rogers in the second round.
In the third and fourth rounds she beat Elise Mertens and Belinda Bencic, respectively, to set up a quarter-final tie with Donna Vekic.
Aryna Sabalenka beat the Croat in straight sets and then defeated Magda Linette in the semi-final 7-6(1), 6-2. She did not drop a single set en route to the final, where she met Elina Rybakina.
The Belarusian won the summit clash 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 to clinch her maiden Grand Slam title.
At the 2024 edition, Sabalenka entered as the second seed. In the first four rounds, she defeated Ella Seidel, Brenda Fruhvirtova, Lesia Tsurenko, and Amanda Anisimova. She beat Czech star Barbora Krejcikova in the quarter-finals before downing American teenager Coco Gauff in the last four.
Sabalenka then defeated Zheng Qinwen in the final to clinch the title for the second consecutive season. The 25-year-old did not drop a single set throughout the tournament.
