Sabalenka on AO Loss: Toughest One

By Richard Pagliaro | @TennisNow  | Sunday, February 9, 2025

Picture credit score: Cameron Spencer/Getty

Aryna Sabalenka’s grandest Slam sparked main ache.

Reflecting on her three-set loss to Madison Keys in final month’s Australian Open closing traditional, Sabalenka stated the setback was her “hardest” loss.

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A brave Keys dethroned two-time defending champion Sabalenka 6-3, 2-6, 7-5 in an inspirational AO showdown pitting premier energy gamers that escalated into gorgeous slugfest on Rod Laver Area.

Assembly the media in Doha in the present day, Sabalenka stated the dramatic finish of her AO reign was such a stinging loss it took her a few week to get well.

“This one was the hardest one,” Sabalenka instructed the media in Doha forward of the Qatar Complete Energies Open. “I feel for per week I used to be nonetheless eager about that match.”

These ideas led two-time AO champion Sabalenka to 1 conclusion: She didn’t lose the match, Keys stepped up and gained it.

In a magical Melbourne run, newlywed Keys toppled the world No. 1 and world No. 2 back-to-back, defeating three Grand Slam champions in fierce three-setters alongside the way in which to seize her first Grand Slam crown.

“Actually, wanting again and eager about these two misplaced video games [in the decisive set], I didn’t do something improper, she simply performed out of her thoughts, and it was her day,” Sabalenka stated. “Th ere’s nothing to remorse.

“I feel proper now I’m absolutely recovered after that robust match.”

The highest-seeded Sabalenka opens season’s first WTA 1000 occasion in opposition to Ekaterina Alexandrova, who swept Emma Raducanu 6-3, 7-5 in her opener in the present day.