The US Open, which ended this weekend, was an extraordinary tournament for Aryna Sabalenka. Thanks to Iga Swiatek’s premature defeat, Sabalenka became the new leader of the ranking during the New York Slam and there were many indications that she would win the event. However, she was not herself in the final. During the post-match conference, she spoke honestly about what happened to her.
Aryna Sabalenka was brilliant at this year’s US Open. The Belarusian confidently won her matches, not losing a single set until the semi-finals. But then something in Sabalenka’s game started to go wrong.
Aryna Sbalenka was one step away from being eliminated from the US Open in the semi-finals of the event, when Madison Keys was one game away from winning the match 2-0 in sets. Then the Belarusian turned on the hidden energy in her body and started to make up for the losses, leading to a tie-break in the second set and the third set. In the last game, Madison Keys did not give up. Sabalenka managed to defeat the American only in the tie-break. This murderous duel certainly cost Sabalenka a lot of strength. However, she also showed that she can win even a lost case, which is why many experts saw her as the favorite in the final match of the US Open against the very young 19-year-old Coco Gauff.
In the final match, Aryna Sabalenka confirmed the experts’ beliefs, winning the first set 6:2. However, in the second set the situation on the court changed. Gauff began to move better and read Sabalenka’s game, and the Belarusian, in turn, began to lose concentration and was unable to turn the tide of the duel. Sabalenka lost the match with a score of 6:2, 3:6, 2:6. During the post-match conference, she explained what happened to her on the court.
– During the first set, I controlled my emotions quite well. I was focused only on myself, not on my opponent or the crowd. Coco moved amazingly, but I must admit that from the second set I started thinking too much and from that moment my shots lost strength. I made too many mistakes and let’s just say I was playing against myself. The worst thing is that I still have these problems and they have not completely disappeared. I will work even harder so that this doesn’t happen next time and, above all, I won’t feel tired like I did today. Cori moved and defended very well, better than anyone else. I had to always play one more ball, but overall I think it was mostly my fault today. She defended well and was better in key moments. – said Sabalenka.
We wish Sabalenko a speedy recovery and peace of mind. See you soon on the court.READ: Do you know how many tennis balls are used at the US Open 2023?
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