Sabalenka wins Shenzhen Open, beats Riske in final

WTA-Aryna-Sabalenka-hits-shot

Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus hits a return shot. (Mark Schiefelbein/AP)

SHENZHEN, China — Aryna Sabalenka got a confidence boost for the upcoming Australian Open after beating Alison Riske 4-6, 7-6 (2), 6-3 in the Shenzhen Open final on Saturday.

"To start the season with a title, it gives you more belief in yourself, and hopefully I can do well at the Australian Open," Sabalenka said.

Both players earlier won their semifinals after rain on Thursday disrupted the tournament schedule. Top-seeded Sabalenka defeated local favourite Wang Yafan 6-2, 6-1, and Riske won the first seven games against Vera Zvonareva before the Russian retired due to a left hip injury.

"If I need to play two matches in one day, I’m going to do that," Sabalenka said.

Riske was making her third appearance in the final at Shenzhen.

"It was a tough day for us, especially to come back after the first set," Sabalenka said. "She was putting everything in, down the lines … I’m so happy that I found a way how to win."

The Australian Open starts Jan. 14.

[relatedlinks]

When submitting content, please abide by our submission guidelines, and avoid posting profanity, personal attacks or harassment. Should you violate our submissions guidelines, we reserve the right to remove your comments and block your account. Sportsnet reserves the right to close a story’s comment section at any time.