Never count @KanepiKaia out 🙅♀️ At 36 years of age, world No.115 upsets world No.2 Aryna Sabalenka 5-7 6-2 7-6[7] to reach the #AusOpen quarterfinals for the very first time. #AO2022
Aryna Sabalenka double faults her way to an early exit in Melbourne
WTAMonday, 24 January 2022 at 14:00
Aryna Sabalenka is out of the Australian Open after failing to overcome her woes against the ever solid veteran Kaia Kanepi.
The Belarussian player played a solid match overall but it was not enough to defeat the Estonian as Kanepi won 5-7 6-2 7-5. Coming from the same part of Europe seems to have awarded both of them the affinity to abuse the ball to the fullest as the match was highlighted by the sheer power of both. Both Kanepi and Sabalenka destroyed the ball at every chance they get and despite having an early break, it was Sbaalenka who won the first set with 7-5.
Kanepi was brilliant when she hit her first serve but that happened only 52 % of the time and on her 2nd serve it was quite bad for her. Sbaalenka used that to her advantage to take the first but it did not help her much in the 2nd. Kanepi came out furious and angry in the 2nd and demolished the ball as good as ever. She quickly took a lead and captured the 2nd set with 6-2.
The start of the 3rd set featured a much better play by both and it was Kanepi who took an early lead. She kept it for the majority of the set until 4-3 when Sabalenka battled back to make it 4-4. Kanepi broke her once more to take a 5-4 lead serving for the match but Sabalenka survived despite a 40-0 lead for Kanepi. She then took a 6-5 lead but Kanepi forced a tiebreak.
In it, it was the Estonian who had the early 5-2 lead but Sabalenka battled back to make it 5-5. Eventually, Kanepi was able to close it out with 10-7. A superb result for the veteran who is playing great tennis in conditions that suit her devastating groundstrokes.
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