Aryna Sabalenka throttled the net with her tennis racket during a tense deciding set against Laura Siegemund. Women’s No.1 Sabalenka was put under serious pressure by the underdog, and her emotions began to get the better of her as the match wore on.
Sabalenka was a break down and chasing the match in the third set when she began her service game at 3-1 to Siegemund. The Belarusian teed things up perfectly to win the point as Siegemund misjudged her drop shot and left a corridor wide open for Sabalenka to hit a shot down the line.
Although she managed the hard work of getting to the ball, Sabalenka inexplicably hit the shot wide, drawing gasps from the crowd. Those gasps turned to rumblings of disapproval when Sabalenka responded by furiously smashing the top of the net.
BBC commentator Tracy Austin said: “That’s what happens when Siegemund is so good at defence – players, opponents start to press too close to the lines out of respect.”
The chair umpire had to settle the crowd down before the next point as Sabalenka sought to regain her composure after a fiery outburst. She did exactly that, holding her service game and then breaking Siegemund to muscle her way back into the deciding set.
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