Aryna Sabalenka had to wait, practically a day, to secure her place in the semifinals of the WTA Finals in Cancun. Her victory made her the second player from the Chetumal Group to reach this stage after Jessica Pegula secured her place previously.
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The duel against the Kazakh of Russian origin, Elena Rybakina, had to be suspended due to the rain and wind that has plagued the Paradisus Stadium throughout the tournament. It was not until this Friday when she resumed activity in the second set of the match, ending with partials of 6-2, 3-6 and 6-3 in favor of the world number one, Sabalenka.
I'm super happy right now. It was a very tough battle, on a very tough court in these conditions. But I am happy to have achieved victory despite everything,” he stated.
Sabalenka seeks to remove the thorn left by the defeat in the last edition of the Finals in 2022, however, the Belarusian experiences this tournament differently.
Well, I don't think I have to compare these Finals with last year's, they are completely two different tournaments with different conditions. This year I have to focus on myself and not let all those thoughts come to my mind, I can't allow it.”
Aryna could not hide her intentions to close 2023 at the top of the world ranking.
“I will do everything I can to continue winning and finish the year as number one in the world, of course it is important and of course it is something I really want.”
The Mexican public has cheered Sabalenka throughout the tournament; this support, according to the player herself, has helped her recover during bad times. Subject to meeting his rival in the next round, Aryna hopes to continue counting on the support of the Cancun public.
I really feel amazing at that moment. I was just telling myself, 'Come on girl, you've got this. Just keep going, keep making it yours.' The best thing is to keep winning and feel this atmosphere again and again. “Probably if I had had this type of support at the US Open, the result would have been different.”
BFG
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