Bejlek in shock after defeating Sabalenka: "I have no words.."
The player was left speechless during the on-court interview after securing the most significant victory of her career. The most human side of a player who had been dreaming of a night like this her whole life.
After many years fighting on the circuit, tonight Sara Bejlek saw everything make sense at the WTA 1000 in Cincinnati. The Czech player starred in one of the biggest surprises of the day on Wednesday defeating Aryna Sabalenka, but the image she left after the match was almost as striking as her victory.
At just 20 years old and currently ranked in the top 35 in the world, the winner of the match appeared in the on-court interview completely overwhelmed with emotion, with evident difficulty in finding the words and still in shock from what she had just achieved. It’s understandable considering what had just happened, signing the greatest victory of her career and defeating a top 10 player for the first time. To make matters even better, the Czech reached the quarterfinals of a WTA 1000 for the first time.
Too many emotions at once for a player who could barely process what had occurred. “I’m at a loss for words. Everything feels incredible, I’m super happy... the truth is I don’t have words,” she managed to say in front of the microphones. On the court, however, Bejlek displayed a completely different personality. Far from being intimidated by the stage, Sabalenka’s status, or the importance of the match, the left-handed Czech simply played with extraordinary freedom. Even when the situation became complicated, she found a way to stay in the match and ultimately caused the downfall of the world number one.
Sara Bejlek after beating Aryna Sabalenka in Cincinnati to reach her 1st WTA 1000 QF
“It’s your first ever win over a top 10, top 5, and guess what… you just beat the world #1.”
Sara: “I lost my words. It feels incredible. I’m super happy. Yeah, I don’t have any words”
🥹🥹🥹 pic.twitter.com/xvVDSccYsH— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) August 20, 2026
Sara Bejlek reveals what was key to defeating Sabalenka
Bejlek herself acknowledged that there wasn’t a particularly sophisticated formula behind her performance. “I just played how I felt, but the reality is that I didn’t think too much about it: I played how I felt,” she explained. And when asked about the keys to her victory, her response was as simple as it was revealing: “Trying not to be nervous and just play, that’s it.”
Now she will have to get used to a completely new feeling. Cincinnati marks her first appearance in a WTA 1000 quarterfinal and, above all, a confidence boost that could change her trajectory. “This victory is going to give me a lot of confidence, this triumph will help me keep believing no matter what happens, now I’m going to believe in myself regardless of what happens,” she assured. Bejlek admitted that she had been going through a phase with “many ups and downs,” but Cincinnati could become the turning point. “Today I did it, I achieved it. I’m very happy.” A simple phrase to explain a night she will take a long time to forget.
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