Aryna Sabalenka’s shocking loss to Clara Tauson marks worst serving stat in nearly three years

Aryna Sabalenka’s disappointing loss to Clara Tauson in Dubai came with a particularly negative statistic: the world No. 1 had not lost five consecutive service games in nearly three years. In one of her most inconsistent performances in recent times, Sabalenka fell 3-6, 2-6 to the 22-year-old Dane.

Tauson delivered an outstanding performance, winning 80% of points on her first serve, compared to just 46% for Sabalenka. She also capitalized on 6 of 16 break point opportunities, while Sabalenka converted only 2 of 3.

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Aryna Sabalenka stunned again: Crashes out in Dubai after Clara Tauson shocker

A key strength of Sabalenka’s game is her dominance on serve, often giving opponents little chance to break. However, against Tauson, she looked vulnerable and won less than half of her service points. Between the first and second sets, she lost five consecutive service games—a rare sight for the Belarusian, last seen at the 2022 San Jose Open, where Daria Kasatkina defeated her 4-6, 7-5, 6-0, winning the last five games in a row.

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Entry List WTA Miami Open 2025 including Aryna Sabalenka, Iga Swiatek, Coco Gauff, Jessica Pegula and Danielle Collins

Sabalenka’s early exit at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships follows her defeat last week at the WTA 1000 Qatar Open, capping off a disappointing Middle East swing with minimal ranking points gained. She has now suffered three losses in her last four matches since the Australian Open final.

Her next challenge will be Indian Wells, where she was runner-up in 2023 (losing to Elena Rybakina) and will need to defend points from reaching the fourth round last year.

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