Aryna Sabalenka was stunned by Mirra Andreeva in her second match at the WTA Finals this year.
Sabalenka beat Karolina Muchova in her opening round-robin match at the WTA Finals, while Andreeva made a winning start against Elina Svitolina.
This meant that one player would lose their unbeaten record at the WTA Finals, and it looked like it was going to be Sabalenka after she led Andreeva 4-1 in the first set.
However, Sabalenka would not win another game, as she was stunned by Andreeva in a 6-4, 6-0 defeat, with the Belarusian clearly emotional after her shock defeat.
Aryna Sabalenka admits what she was struggling with vs Mirra Andreeva
Sabalenka spoke to media after the match, where she was asked what went wrong after losing 11 consecutive games to Andreeva.
“I have no idea right now, but I have to say that she played great tennis, that’s for sure,” replied an emotional Sabalenka. “I was struggling with my rhythm. The good news is that I still have my chance to qualify for the semis so let’s see.”
Although Sabalenka was beaten by Andreeva, she is still not out of the WTA Finals, with the round-robin stage enabling players still to qualify even if they lose a match. Sabalenka will now face Svitolina, with the winner advancing to the semi-finals, and she has revealed if she is worried following her latest defeat.
“There is no panic right now, but I will definitely do some extra work tomorrow to make sure I come out and play better tennis,” answered Sabalenka.
Sabalenka is very familiar with being at Indian Wells, having won the title at the WTA 1000 tournament earlier this year. The world number two was asked how she is finding being in the Californian desert with less people, but Sabalenka disputed that this is the case.
“I don’t feel like there’s really fewer people,” said Sabalenka. “Over here there is almost nobody but in the stadium it’s almost packed. I still enjoy it the same way that I do during Indian Wells. So from me the atmosphere is quite motivating.”
Aryna Sabalenka vs Elina Svitolina Head-to-Head
Sabalenka will now be looking ahead to a crucial final round-robin match against Svitolina, a match she is likely to be feeling confident ahead of, having won six of her seven previous matches against the Ukrainian.
This includes Sabalenka winning the last eight sets they have played, including their only match this year back in January at the Australian Open. Svitolina’s only win over Sabalenka came on clay at the Strasbourg Open back in 2020.
|
Year |
Tournament |
Result |
|
2018 |
Wuhan Open (R32) |
Sabalenka beat Svitolina, 6-4 2-6 6-1 |
|
2020 |
Strasbourg Open (SF) |
Svitolina beat Sabalenka, 6-2 4-6 6-4 |
|
2023 |
Roland Garros (QF) |
Sabalenka beat Svitolina, 6-4 6-4 |
|
2024 |
Italian Open (R16) |
Sabalenka beat Svitolina, 4-6 6-1 7-6(7) |
|
2024 |
Cincinnati Open (R16) |
Sabalenka beat Svitolina, 7-5 6-2 |
|
2025 |
Madrid Open (SF) |
Sabalenka beat Svitolina, 6-3 7-5 |
|
2026 |
Australian Open (SF) |
Sabalenka beat Svitolina, 6-2 6-3 |
The winner of the match between Sabalenka and Svitolina will finish second in Group 2 at the WTA Finals, with Andreeva having already won this group, while Muchova has already been eliminated.
Group 2 will conclude with its final round-robin matches on Friday, November 13.
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Esta notícia foi originalmente publicada em: Fonte original