The world number two has been in devastating form over the past two weeks and carried that into the final, defeating 12th seed Zheng of China in just 76 minutes.
Sabalenka lifted the Daphne Akhurst Memorial Cup without dropping a set in seven matches at Melbourne Park.
Sabalenka struggled with consistency early in her career, and was known for double-faulting in key moments and getting emotional when matches didn't go her way.
“There was a moment when I couldn’t believe we could actually win.” [a major] “One day,” she said.
“There were a lot of ups and downs, but I couldn't quit.”
Four months ago, Sabalenka was seen slamming her racket on the locker room floor after losing to American Coco Gauff in the US Open final.
“You can't get big wins without really tough losses,” Sabalenka said.
“Of course I was very depressed after the match. As you can see, I was crying and banging my racket. I was really crazy.”
When the pair met again in the Australian semi-finals, Sabalenka kept her emotions in check despite trailing 5-2 in the first set.
“I was more in control and nothing else was on my mind. And I was focused on myself. So I think that's a big difference,” she added.
“I don't get upset like I used to when I'm low on serve or someone breaks me.
“I have faith that no matter what happens, I can fight.”
