By Chris Oddo | @TheFanChild | Wednesday January 15, 2025
It’s no secret that Aryna Sabalenka is the very best arduous courtroom participant within the ladies’s recreation proper now. She’s gained 16 consecutive matches at arduous courtroom majors and is bidding to develop into the primary girl to win three consecutive titles on the Australian Open since 1999.
She’s gone 47-9 on the floor for the reason that begin of 2024.
However what makes the World No.1 so darn unstoppable? Jessica Pegula, who can be by way of to the third spherical in Australia gave her take after her second-round win over Elise Mertens.
The place to begin? How concerning the serve, says the seventh-seeded American.
“Earlier than she used to have a giant serve, however now way more management, way more constant,” Pegula mentioned. “That variable that you simply form of hope would go off does not actually appear to go off as a lot anymore.”
Then there may be the footwork.
“I feel her motion’s gotten so much higher,” Pegula added.
After which there may be her willingness so as to add contact and really feel to her blistering energy recreation.
“Clearly she’s a brilliant energy participant, can take the racquet out of your palms generally,” Pegula opined. “I’ve observed she has began mixing in much more slices, dropshots, coming to the online.”
Latest outcomes don’t lie, says Pegula. Sabalenka is elevating her stage and that’s the reason she is racking up wins.
“She’s actually gotten so much higher as a participant,” says Pegula, who may doubtlessly face Sabalenka within the semifinals if she is ready to navigate a tricky quarter that additionally options third-seeded Coco Gauff. “I feel that is why you are seeing these outcomes. She’s improved so much in numerous completely different points. Credit score to her and her group.”
Pegula says that gone are the times when Sabalenka would play patchy tennis and hand out numerous free factors when one in every of her pictures broke down. Now she can be a pillar of consistency, and the Belarusian reads her personal recreation nicely sufficient to know what selections to make when one aspect just isn’t firing prefer it usually does.
“Earlier than I felt like after I would play her, you’d all the time are inclined to know one thing would form of break down, whether or not it was her motion or her palms or her serve, no matter,” she mentioned. “Now that is not occurring as a lot. If one factor breaks down, she has possibly one thing else in her device shed that she will now begin incorporating that you simply weren’t actually anticipating.
“I feel she’s simply develop into a very, actually full participant, but in addition has that energy recreation the place she might be actually aggressive and take the match from you, which I feel is why she will get sizzling for per week or two. It may be actually powerful, I feel she’s, yeah, only a actually full participant proper now.”
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