Aryna Sabalenka revealed her mentality against Ons Jabeur was to make the Tunisian “do something great” if she wanted to win the match.
On the opening day of the WTA Finals, second-seeded Sabalenka outlasted world No 2 Jabeur 3-6 7-6 (5) 7-5 in two hours and 28 minutes of play.
“I’m just trying to enjoy every second being here, and I’m just trying to do my best and see what the last week of the season can bring. I was just like, ‘Keep trying, keep fighting, and make sure that if she wants to win this match, she has to do something great, not like an easy win.’ And I think that’s why I put a little bit more pressure on her and in the key moments, I was able to win it,” Sabalenka said after the match, per the WTA website.
Sabalenka on why beating Jabeur was her biggest win of the season
Sabalenka has had a season full of ups and downs.
On Monday, she managed to overcome the adversity and clinch a hard-fought win over this year’s Wimbledon and US Open runner-up Jabeur.
“The level was super high. Even though I lost the first set, I was able to win this match. This season, if I was losing the first set, I was losing the match. Playing No.2, losing the first set and still fight through it, that’s why it’s the biggest win of the season,” Sabalenka added.
After losing the first set, Sabalenka had a 5-3 lead in the second set and a chance to serve out for the third set.
After saving a set point in the ninth game, Jabeur broke Sabalenka in the following game as the second set went into a tie-break.
In the tie-break, Jabeur had a 5-3 lead before Sabalenka won four points in a row to send the match into a decider.
After losing the second set, Jabeur had a 4-2 lead in the third set and was two games away from winning the match.
Sabalenka then responded with breaks in the eighth and 12th games to overturn the deficit and complete a three-set win.