Aryna Sabalenka's last defeat came in the third round of the French Open in October; she has since won WTA tour tiles in Ostrava, Linz and now Abu Dhabi; the 22-year-old will head to the Australian Open as the world No 7; Alex De Minaur needed just seven minutes to claim the Antalya Open
Thursday 14 January 2021 06:51, UK
Aryna Sabalenka made a strong start to her 2021 season by clinching the Abu Dhabi Open and extending her winning streak to 15 matches, while Australian Alex De Minaur claimed the Antalya Open.
After finishing 2020 with season-ending trophies at Ostrava and Linz, Sabalenka started her new campaign in the same vein in Abu Dhabi.
It was the ninth title overall for the fourth-seeded Sabalenka, who is projected to rise to world No 7 when the WTA rankings are updated on Monday.
"I was doing everything I could in each match from the beginning, and I'm really happy to start this season with a title," Sabalenka told the media during her post-match press conference.
"Every final is really something special, and I would say, finals are a different competition. This final was really nice, and I would say a really fast game.
"I'm really happy to keep winning, and I'll do everything I can to keep winning. Nobody likes to lose.
"I'm really proud that I was fighting no matter what. Some matches, I didn't feel my serve, some matches I didn't feel my forehand or backhand, but I would just keep fighting, finding my shots, and that this is what I'm really proud of, and really happy with this title."
She now heads to Melbourne for the first Grand Slam of the year at the Australian Open next month.
"My biggest dream is to win a Grand Slam. I think we all have the same dream, so nothing really special," Sabalenka said with a smile.
Australia's Alex De Minaur needed just seven minutes to claim his fourth ATP Tour singles title at the Antalya Open.
The fourth seed was leading Alexander Bublik 2-0 in the first set when the Kazakhstani retired through injury.
"I knew I'd put in a great pre-season, I felt good and ready to compete," De Minaur told the official ATP Tour website after adding a Turkish victory to hard-court titles at the Sydney International, the Atlanta Open and the Zhuhai Championships.
"I got some quality wins and now I'm looking forward to returning to Australia, where I hope to have a good Aussie summer in front of a home crowd."
Eighth seed Bublik had twisted his right ankle during his semi-final victory over Jeremy Chardy on Tuesday.
Bublik said: "I tried to play. I was in the physio room for three hours yesterday and I tried to get ready for the match.
"It's hard for me in my third ATP Tour final, and I've never gotten the win."
Poland's Hubert Hurkacz was too good for Sebastian Korda in the final of the Delray Beach Open winning 6-3 6-3 to claim his second career ATP Tour title.
"It feels really amazing to win the title here," he said. It was really nice to play with a crowd. That was helpful. I enjoyed a lot playing here."
Don't forget to follow us on skysports.com/tennis, our Twitter account @skysportstennis & Sky Sports - on the go! Available to download now on - iPhone & iPad and Android
