WTA Adelaide | Tournament sensation Linda Noskova tackles Sabalenka in final in Adelaide

Linda Noskova, sensation of the WTA 500 tournament in Adelaide, on Saturday overpowered the second player in the world, the Tunisian Ons Jabeur 6-3, 1-6, 6-3 in the semi-finals, and will meet in the final Aryna Sabalenka (5th) who edged Romania’s Irina-Camelia Begu 6-3, 6-2.

The young Czech, 18 years old and 102nd in the world, had pointed the tip of her nose in 2022 by reaching the WTA 125 final in Maskara in Croatia in June, then the semi-final in front of her audience in Prague (WTA 250) in July. But in Australia, Noskova, after going through the qualifications, was invited to the big leagues. She pinned two players from the Top 10 on the way to the final, the Russian Daria Kasatkina (8th) in the 1st round and Ons Jabeur (2nd) in the half, not to mention the Belarusian Victoria Azarenka, double winner of the Australian Open and 26th in the world, in quarters.

Now stands before her in the final the solid Belarusian Aryna Sabalenka, exempt from the 1st round thanks to her status as seeded N.5, who has not lost a set in three matches. On the heels of her end of last season where she was a Masters finalist, Sabalenka, 24 and with a much better experience than Noskova, will play the 19th final of an already rich career by seeking an eleventh title.