“Super happy with that”: Aryna Sabalenka relishes revenge win over ‘tough opponent’ Leylah Fernandez at US Open

Belarus’ Aryna Sabalenka finally managed to get the revenge of the 2021 US Open semifinal defeat as she defeated Canada’s Leylah Fernandez in the third round of the fourth and final Grand Slam of the year on Friday. The final score of the match was 6-3, 7-6.

It was the second meeting between the two players, and interestingly, the first since they both met in the semifinals of the same competition four years prior. In that contest, Fernandez secured a big upset win over Sabalenka and cemented her spot in the final of the competition. This time around, Sabalenka was better prepared and came out on top in straight sets.

While speaking to the media after the match, Sabalenka stated that she was happy to finally secure a win over the opponent against whom she suffered a heartbreaking defeat at the same venue a few years ago. “Yeah, it was a tough match. It was a tough lesson for me back then,” said Sabalenka. “And since then, we never played again. And I just wanted to prove to myself that the lesson was learned and that I developed as a player. And yeah, I could get this win. And I won the match. And it was very important because she played incredible tennis. It was a tough match. And I handled it pretty well and super happy with that.”

Sabalenka was then asked about how she sees Fernandez’s performance on the court. In response to that, Sabalenka was full of praise for her opponent and stated that it was a ‘tough match’ and she was happy to came out on top. “She's definitely a tough opponent,” said Sabalenka about Fernandez. “And I can see she's working hard. She's improving. And she played incredible tennis today. I think it was just a few points in each set that decided the result. And she's moving well. Coming to the net. Playing a really confident game out there. So, yeah, I definitely consider her as a tough opponent.”

Sabalenka was then asked about the secret behind producing the goods in the tiebreaks. In response, the reigning world number and defending champion stated that she believes the improvement in her performance during tiebreaks shows that she is becoming mentally stronger.

“Well, I definitely think that mentally I'm pretty strong,” said Sabalenka. “And I'm still growing because I'm learning a lot of lessons. And all of those lessons are making me tougher, tougher, and tougher. And in those tiebreaks, I'm just trying to focus on myself. I'm trying to trust my game and stay aggressive and just go after shots that I think in the moment are the right decision. I think sometimes during the set, I'm doubting my decisions. And when I get to the tie-break, I know that there is no time for doubts. And I just have to go for my shots. And I have to trust my game. Because I'm just reminding myself that I have to trust. I have a pretty good feeling. I know what to do on court. And I'm trying to stick to the plan for the game. And trying to stay aggressive and put as much pressure as I can on my opponent.”

During the match, there was interesting moment when the camera switched to big screen where a mid-match proposal took place. Sabalenka was asked about her reaction to it. In response to that, Sabalenka stated that this is something that happened for the first time in her match and wished the couple a happy marriage life as well.

“I think it's the first time that someone proposed during my match,” said Sabalenka about the mid-match proposal. “And it was a very sweet moment. But I was just trying not to start smiling because it's very cute. And I believe they're super happy right now. And I was just trying to keep focussing on my game. And it was a great moment. And as I said on court, I wish them happy marriage.”