(Indian Wells) Euphoric since her victory at the Australian Open, world No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka managed a new show of force to dismiss the Greek Maria Sakkari (7e) and reach the Indian Wells WTA 1000 final on Friday in California.
The 24-year-old Belarusian, who is reaching this stage of the event for the first time, will be up against the Polish world no. 1 and defending champion Iga Swiatek or the Kazakh Elena Rybakina (10e).
More aggressive and consistent, Sabalenka controlled the game without batting an eyelid, which started more than half an hour late because the referee’s microphone was not working to make announcements. However, she said she was disturbed by this incident.
“For a second I thought ‘oops, something’s wrong today’. Then I said to myself that these things can happen, and it does not matter. I just need to calm down and relax. I’m glad it didn’t really affect my game,” she said at a press conference.
The Belarusian broke three times in the first set, showing no mercy in return on Sakkari’s second balls, with 11 points won from 14 played.
The slugging fight continued with the same results in the second set, Sabalenka continuing to manhandle the 27-year-old Greek, who appeared somewhat borrowed. Perhaps this is due to the fact that she had already spent more than twice as long as her rival on the courts, to reach the last four.
Maximum confidence
She, who was aiming for a second consecutive final in the Californian desert, resisted by breaking to come back to 2-2, when she missed an opportunity to resume the service of Sabalenka, somewhat on the back. But the latter is another player now, who no longer cracks so easily at the slightest annoyance.
“In the past, I’ve lost so many games like this, on just some stupid mistakes. I told myself that it was okay to make these mistakes, that I was not a robot, that I could miss these shots. That’s how I was able to keep fighting,” she explained.
Sabalenka immediately pulled herself together and was able to rely on a solid first ball to win her bet and then escape for good.
“Maria is a great player, when you play her you know it will be difficult, so I am very happy with this victory,” said the Belarusian.
Since his first major title in January in Melbourne, maximum confidence has lived in Sabalenka, who has lost only one match in 18 played in 2023.
“I feel very good on the court at the moment, but I also understand that it will not always be the same. That’s why I keep working hard, making sure that on the days when things don’t go my way, there’s no problem. But, yeah, it’s great to be among the top players,” she said.
She who had never passed the 8e in Indian Wells can still confirm that status as early as Sunday. “This tournament feels like a Grand Slam, I really want to win it,” she concluded.
