It took her two hours and 22 minutes to get the draining win over Linda Noskova. But a day later, it became clear that despite the win, she would be losing something dear and precious to her.
Mumbai: Earlier this week, Aryna Sabalenka was engaged in a colossal battle for a spot in the semi-final of the US Open.
I lost a tough match on grass against Jess, and I wasn’t really performing well in the middle part of the season,” Sabalenka said after the match. Sabalenka came out all guns blazing, as she usually does, but this time there something else stoking the fire. “I was super desperate.
At the other end of the women’s singles draw, Elena Rybakina had secured her spot in the semi-final to ensure that on Monday, when the rankings are updated, she would become the highest ranked player in the WTA charts for the first time.
She was getting close to becoming the first player since Serena Williams (in 2014) to complete a hat-trick of US Open titles. Despite an error-ridden match, the Kazakh beat the fourth seed 3-6, 6-4, 6-4 to earn her spot in the final. The performance on Thursday was not the best by two-time Slam champion Rybakina, who committed 39 unforced errors to 22 winners, and was broken three times.
But there was another dangling carrot in front of the hard-hitting Sabalenka. A few hours later, Rybakina took the scenic route against Coco Gauff. “That’s definitely the best match she’s played this year. But she did manage to problem-solve her way out of a match against the most tenacious player on the women’s tour.
Sabalenka’s statement win “I don’t know who pissed her off today,” Jessica Pegula, the third seed, said during her post-match press conference after losing to Sabalenka. “I definitely need to step my game up, serve much better than today, stay aggressive, go for the shots,” she said on-court. “When you get an opportunity, you need to go for your shots, especially with Aryna.”
