Aryna Sabalenka is still stung by her loss at last month’s Australian Open final after she got the boot at thre Doha Open.
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SABALENKA STILL STUNG AFTER LOSING TO KEYS AT AUSTRALIAN OPEN FINAL
Sabalenka is still stung by last month’s major final after she lost to American Madison Keys.
Furthermore, the Belarussian world No.1 was denied of being crowned a three-time champion in Melbourne.
Moreover, Sabalenka was out of sync in her 3-6, 6-3, 7-6(5) loss to No.20 Ekaterina Alexandrova at the Doha Open.
The 26-year-old admitted taking a week to recover after losing to Keys.
“This one was the toughest one. I think for a week I was still thinking about that match,” she said.
BELARUSSIAN STILL RECALLS MELBOURNE FINAL
Sabalenka still recalled what went wrong in her 6-3, 2-6, 7-5 loss to Keys in the final.
Moreover, the Belarussian noted two lost games she lost during that final set which could’ve made the difference.
Furthermore, she tried to downplay those moments as arrived in Doha prior to her first-round match on Tuesday.
“Honestly, looking back and thinking about those two lost games [in the final set], I didn’t do anything wrong,” Sabalenka said.
“She (Keys) just played out of her mind, and it was her day – there’s nothing to regret,” she added.
ALEXANDROVA ‘TOOK A LOT OF ENERGY AND FOCUS’ TO STUN TOP SEED
Alexandrova admitted she “took a lot of energy and focus” to stun top-seeded Sabalenka.
Furthermore, the No.20-ranked player had to endure a tense two-and-a-half hour match to avoid an early exit.
Moreover, it helped that Alexandrova was coming off a win in Linz, while her opponent was still nursing a tough loss.
“It took a lot of energy and focus,” Alexandrova said.
“It was difficult to try to keep (my level) the same as her (Sablenka) for two and a half hours,” she added.
