Sabalenka apologizes to her coach after 'making him' leave the stadium

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A great match was enjoyed this afternoon in Riad between Aryna Sabalenka and Jessica Pegula, just one more between these two. The victory went to the Belarusian, who is on the brink of reaching the semifinals in the WTA Finals, although it wasn't all smooth sailing for her.

Beyond her win or her tennis level, more than one stood astonished this Tuesday witnessing the confrontation that took place during the match between Aryna Sabalenka and Anton Dubrov, her head coach since 2020. The tense moment led the World No. 1 to utter a couple of inappropriate remarks, prompting the coach to leave the stadium. While she eventually emerged victorious, sometimes the result isn't the most important aspect. Nevertheless, today it was crucial to strengthen her position for advancing to the WTA Finals semifinals.

But let's first talk about the match and Sabalenka's analysis of her significant triumph over Pegula. "I think she played incredibly at the net, every time I tried to move the ball around, hitting it harder or softer, wider or more focused, there she was. It was a demonstration of why she is such a good doubles player. At times, I couldn't do much, so my only option was to aim for the lines and hit the ball as hard as I could. The truth is, I had a lot of fun; those moments helped me reach my best level," she acknowledged after closing the score at 6-4, 2-6, and 6-3.

"It's always very engaging to face her; she's a player who always pushes me to the next level, takes me to the limit," she says with a clear head-to-head record of 9-3, although the last time they met in Wuhan, she couldn't claim victory. "Today, at times, we touched upon an incomprehensible level of tennis, extremely high standard from both sides. Certain points from the first set come to my mind, and honestly, I don't even know how to describe them [...] Then in the second set, she was able to bring out her best version; I couldn't do much there, just aimed to stay in the battle and be more aggressive, pressuring her with every shot," explains the Minsk native, who is still seeking her first title as a master.

"As I've said on other occasions, I approach this tournament with a very clear mindset: I have to win five matches if I want to be the champion, if I finally want to lift this trophy with my own hands," asserts the woman who, so far, holds a perfect record of victories in the group stage. Nonetheless, she will risk it all next Thursday against Coco Gauff. "In my next match, I want to step onto the court with a much clearer tennis idea, perhaps adjusting a couple of details with my serve to make it more dangerous, anything that helps me showcase my best tennis level," she evaluates.

Sabalenka explains why her coach left the stadium

Amidst the questions from the Tennis Channel, Coco Vandeweghe didn't want to skip the most sensational question related to the 'escape' of Anton Dubrov in the third set, just after his pupil ignited more than advisable and vented her frustration on him. A highly tense moment that could have derailed the entire plan, but ultimately turned into a turning point for Aryna to unleash her forbidden shots.

"Perhaps I was too harsh with him at that moment; I hope he's still here in the stadium. The truth is, I don't know where he is," confessed the World No. 1 about her coach. "He was having a tough time, moments of great frustration that I had to release somehow, and well, let's say I took it too far. Him leaving the stadium was the right thing; at that moment, it's best to leave me alone with my problems. I just hope he's not too disappointed with me. I'm sorry, I was very stressed, and I completely vented that anger on him, but at the same time, it helped me explore my best tennis," she concluded.

This news is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Sabalenka se disculpa con su entrenador tras ‘hacerle’ abandonar el estadio