Aryna Sabalenka ousted in first match back from Australian Open triumph

Aryna Sabalenka ousted in first match back from Australian Open triumph

The Straits Times - Sports·2024-02-20 21:01

DUBAI – Aryna Sabalenka was brought back down to earth on Feb 20 at the WTA Dubai Tennis Championships when she suffered a 6-7 (5-7), 6-3, 6-0 second-round loss to Donna Vekic.

The world No.2 Belarusian was making her first appearance since she successfully won a second straight Australian Open title in January, and her Croatian opponent did not make it easy for her.

Vekic improved her strong record against Sabalenka, coming from a set and a break down to win in 2hr 22min, her sixth victory in eight encounters dating back to 2016 which included a triumph at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021.

“It’s a pretty big win because she’s had an amazing start to the year and she’s a great player,” the 27-year-old said during her on-court interview.

“It was a tough match today so I’m really happy to win. I did beat her five times before but she won the most important one last year in the (Australian Open) quarter-finals so that one hurt a lot.

“I knew I wanted to bring my best tennis to beat her so I’m happy that it worked out today.”

After coming through a tight first set, it seemed like Sabalenka, 25, would go on to clinch the win.

However, she was then outplayed by Vekic, who became more dominant as the match wore on, landing 14 aces and battling through 12 of the last 13 games of the clash.

According to Opta statistics, Vekic is only the second player to claim a 6-0 third set against a top two-ranked player at at WTA 1000 event since the format’s introduction in 2009, after Serena Williams in Miami in 2013.

Williams had beaten world No. 2 Maria Sharapova in the final, 4-6, 6-3, 6-0.

Vekic will next face Romania’s Sorana Cirstea, who defeated Russia’s No.13 seed Veronika Kudermetova 6-1, 6-4.

The Croat, who has reached two Grand Slam quarter-finals in her career to date, is aiming to reach the last eight of a WTA 1000 tournament for the first time.

Sabalenka had enjoyed a shopping spree at Dubai International Airport when she arrived for the tournament, when she was presented with a complementary shopping voucher to celebrate the 40th anniversary of Dubai Duty Free.

She now finds herself returning to the airport quicker than she had expected ahead of Indian Wells in March.

Earlier on Centre Court, eighth seed Maria Sakkari snapped a three-match losing streak and claimed her first-ever Dubai main-draw victory, on her fourth attempt, with a 6-2, 6-4 triumph over in-form American Emma Navarro.

After suffering opening-round exits in Abu Dhabi and Doha, the Greek was admittedly nervous ahead of her clash with Navarro, who is already a title-winner in 2024 and has amassed 13 victories in the first two months of the season.

“Last night I couldn’t sleep just because I was overthinking about it. No one wants to keep losing first round. But I told myself to treat it as the first match of the season. Obviously it wasn’t my best tennis but it was good enough to beat a top-form player,” said Sakkari, who faces Jasmine Paolini next.

In men’s tennis, Carlos Alcaraz has said that he needs to improve “many things” after suffering a surprise semi-final loss in Buenos Aires last week to Nicolas Jarry.

The two-time Grand Slam champion has endured a disappointing start to the season, having also slumped to a four-set defeat by Alexander Zverev in the Australian Open quarter-finals.

“There are many things to improve compared to Buenos Aires,” Alcaraz said ahead of his opening match in Rio de Janeiro on Feb 20 against Thiago Monteiro.

“I hit the ball very well, I think I’m in good shape, but I have to learn to play better in certain situations.

“For example, on break points, in certain moments when I’m on edge, I have to do better than I did. That’s the most important thing I have to improve if I want to get a good result in Rio.”

The world No. 2 has not won an ATP title since his stunning Wimbledon triumph over Novak Djokovic in 2023. AFP

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