Aryna
Sabalenka spoke about her connection with China upon her arrival at the Beijing
Open.
The final
WTA 1000 event of the year will see a new world No. 1, and Sabalenka is
delighted to make her debut as the top-ranked player in China. After a strong
performance at Flushing Meadows, the Belarusian reached the final of the US
Open but ultimately fell to Coco Gauff, missing out on her second Grand Slam
title.
Nevertheless,
Sabalenka can take satisfaction in reaching the top of the WTA Rankings for the
first time in her career. She holds a substantial points lead over Iga Swiatek
(now world No. 2), putting her in a good position to finish the year as the
world No. 1.
Sabalenka
is returning to China, a country where she won four of her first five titles in
Wuhan (2018, 2019), 2019 Shenzhen, and the 2019 WTA Elite Trophy. During her
pre-tournament press conference, she shared her fondness for competing in
China:
"I
remember they used to call me 'Daughter of China.' It was really cool. I liked
it," she said (via official WTA website).
"I
remember two women fighting for my headband. I was just like, 'Guys, I'll bring
you another one next time, just please don't fight.' That was the funniest
memorable moment," Sabalenka said.
Sabalenka
is now awaiting her debut at the Beijing Open, where she faces a challenging
first-round draw against former Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin (42nd),
who is currently enjoying a good run of form and gradually rediscovering the
level that took her to world No. 4 three years ago.
The
Belarusian confessed to feeling a new responsibility as the top-ranked player,
regardless of the opponent she faces:
"I
feel like I have a lot of responsibility right now, being No.1. I feel like
[I'm] kind of representing the tour. Honestly, it's something new for me and
I'm still just trying to understand if it's actually changing anything,"
the Belarusian said.
