Sabalenka has been forced to contend with injuries during 2024 but looks to be extremely sharp right now.

The 26-year-old was in fine form yesterday as she defeated Jasmine Paolini 6-3, 7-5 to book a last-four berth and render tomorrow’s match with Elena Rybakina a dead rubber.

Sabalenka equalled a record held by Serena Williams by reaching back-to-back semi-finals at the WTA Finals as the world number one.

It proved a tough match for the player against Paolini and Sabalenka admitted she had to keep telling herself one thing throughout her time on court.

Now, the powerful talent might take some stopping at this event and she looks to be in formidable form.

Tracy Austin noticed major change in Aryna Sabalenka

It’s been quite an indifferent year for Sabalenka who has fought her way back to the world number one spot.

Sabalenka won the Australian Open and the US Open in 2024 but lost in the quarter-final of the French Open and then had to withdraw from Wimbledon.

The Olympics were also something that Sabalenka ducked with Sabalenka not recovering from the shoulder injury that robbed her of an SW19 appearance.

After coming through against Paolini, Austin claimed she noticed a major change in Sabalenka’s performance.

She told the Tennis Channel: ” I think the ability to pull it back in. There were a couple of games which got a little bit scratchy.

“You feel like maybe two years ago those would have turned into three or four games, maybe the loss of a set. But she is so much more calm. She has the ability to rein it back in. Maybe for one game, she is a little bit loose.

“I also think it may have helped Sabalenka, she had that shoulder injury, you never want to be injured but she couldn’t play the Olympics or Wimbledon. Had that nice training block to get ready for the hard courts and she has been on fire since then.”

Sabalenka will take some stopping at WTA Finals

Now that Sabalenka is the women’s number one player she’s clearly keen to dominate the sport.

Had she stayed fit this year other titles might have been forthcoming but looking backwards is not in her get-up.

Sabalenka is playing great tennis at the moment and on current form, she’s going to take some serious stopping.

Coco Gauff, Jess Pegula and Iga Swiatek will fancy their chances but ultimately, Sabalenka is going to be up for the fight.

The three-time Grand Slam champion looks to have hit form at just the right time in 2024.

In hindsight that perhaps makes her decisions over Wimbledon and the Olympics strong ones and the WTA Finals looks like a trophy within her grasp right now.

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