Aryna Sabalenka v Qinwen Zheng | Australian Open 2024 final preview, betting tips and H2H

Aryna Sabalenka aims to successfully retain her Australian Open crown at the expense of Qinwen Zheng in the women’s singles final on Saturday.

Sabalenka is looking to become the 20th different multiple women’s singles champion at the Australian Open and the first female to defend the title since Victoria Azarenka in 2013.

The number two seed has stormed through to the final without dropping a set, making it 13 wins in a row here in Melbourne.

In fact, she conceded only 16 games in defeating Ella Seidel, Brenda Fruhvirtova, Lesia Tsurenko, Amanda Anisimova and Barbora Krejcikova, before avenging her defeat to Coco Gauff in last year’s US Open final with a 7-6, 6-4 success in the semis.

Zheng, meanwhile, has become only the second Chinese player to reach a major singles final, following on from Li Na.

The 21-year-old had previously never made it beyond the Quarter-Finals of a grand slam – when she was beaten by Sabalenka at the 2023 US Open.

Zheng has seen off Ashlyn Krueger, Katie Boulter, Wang Yafan, Oceane Dodin, Anna Kalinskaya and Ukrainian qualifier Dayana Yastremska to reach her maiden major final.

The final gets under way from around 8.30am GMT (7.30pm local time) in the Rod Laver Arena and will be contested over the best of three sets.

Aryna Sabalenka v Qinwen Zheng prediction

Sabalenka has swept aside all before her over the past fortnight in Melbourne and it looks like taking something miraculous to dethrone her at the final hurdle.

Sabalenka’s clinical serve overwhelmed Zheng when the pair met in the US Open, with her opponent failing to create a single break-point chance, and any repeat of that dominance could spell a short night at the office for the defending champion.

Zheng has defied the odds to reach her first major final, but the fairy-tale looks likely to fall narrowly short, with a straight sets win for Sabalenka the most probable outcome.

Aryna Sabalenka v Qinwen Zheng betting tip

Sabalenka to win 2-0 @ 8/15 with Bet365

Aryna Sabalenka v Qinwen Zheng match odds

18+ | Please Gamble Responsibly | All odds correct at time of publication

How to watch Sabalenka v Zheng live online

All matches from the 2024 Australian Open are available to watch live via the Bet365 live streaming service.

To access live streaming of tennis, simply:

1. Go to Bet365.com via this special link
2. Register an account, make a first deposit and bet £10 to receive £30 in Bet Credits*
3. Once registered, go to the sports homepage and select ‘Tennis’ from the left-hand menu
4. Select the play icon next to the match in progress and the stream window will appear

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Aryna Sabalenka v Qinwen Zheng head-to-head

The only previous meeting between the two players came in last year’s US Open, with Sabalenka storming to a 6-1, 6-4 victory at the Quarter-Final stage.