Sabalenka on Controversy with Kostyuk: "I had to stop, it was impossible to continue like this"

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Competitive spirit, fighting character, and champion intangibles. That's what Aryna Sabalenka brought to the table in her intense duel against Marta Kostyuk in the quarterfinals of the 2025 Mutua Madrid Open. The Belarusian stirred up controversy by refusing to serve at 4-5 with a second ball, causing great indignation in the Ukrainian.

Great champions are capable of avoiding deadly traps like the one Aryna Sabalenka escaped in the quarterfinals of the 2025 Mutua Madrid Open. Wind, rain, lack of confidence in her shots, and a tremendously inspired and talented rival like Marta Kostyuk were the ingredients of a very challenging match for the Belarusian. But being number 1 implies triumphs like the one achieved by Sabalenka, who faced the press after her important victory.

"I am very proud of myself for how I managed my emotions. The conditions were really tough, I struggled to control the ball, and it felt like winning or losing would not depend on tennis but on the mental strength to face adverse situations like the ones we were experiencing. In situations like that, anyone can win, so I doubled my concentration and put my best fighting spirit on the table. It was a great battle, and it's fantastic to still be alive in the tournament," she stated.

- Why did Sabalenka unilaterally decide to stop the game at a critical moment?

One of the highlights of the match was at 4-5 in the tiebreak, with rain starting to fall over Madrid. The Belarusian tries to pause the game, the chair umpire insists on continuing playing as she believed the rain intensity was not enough to stop the game, but Sabalenka serves and misses the first one. At that moment, she uses her authority, goes to the bench, puts her rackets in the bag, and demands that the Manolo Santana Court be covered to continue.

"Oh my God...! Serving while the rain was falling was impossible. I tried with the first serve, but I realized that I had to stop because the water was getting into my eyes. It was impossible. I knew I was going to double fault, and I didn't want that to happen, so I decided that the game couldn't continue. I'm glad I did it," concluded Aryna Sabalenka, who will now face Elina Svitolina in the semifinals of the 2025 Mutua Madrid Open.

This news is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Sabalenka, sobre la polémica con Kostyuk: "Tenía que parar, era imposible seguir así"