(VIDEO) Sabalenka takes matters into her own hands to dry court after Cincinnati Open rain delays
WTAFriday, 18 August 2023 at 12:00
Aryna Sabalenka took matters into her own hands and helped out with drying the court during her match with Daria Kasatkina at the Cincinnati Open (Western & Southern Open) on Thursday.
Sabalenka defeated 14th seed Daria Kasatkina 6-3, 6-3 in a match which saw three separate rain delays throughout. The first interruption was at 5-2, however Sabalenka returned swiftly to the court to seal the set.
The second set commenced with Sabalenka seizing control and seal two breaks to claim it sitting at 5/9 overall. As a result, she will have wanted it to continue and while waiting for the match to resume, she took to one of the wet spots with a towel to dry it.
Cincinnati has drying machines which did not cover every orifice and Daria Kasatkina in particular found this puzzling even asking the umpire why there was drying machines on the court.
But Sabalenka stuck to the task and finds herself in the Quarter-Finals with Ons Jabeur up next later today.
Samuel GillEditor-in-Chief
Samuel Gill is the Chief Content Officer (CCO) of TennisUpToDate.com, a role he has held since 2020. He is responsible for editorial governance across the platform, including setting content standards, overseeing accuracy and consistency, and guiding long-term editorial strategy. Since joining, he has contributed more than 10,000 articles and editorial pieces across the TennisUpToDate network, playing a central role in the daily operation and development of the site.
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