Second-seeded Aryna Sabalenka temporarily retired from Spain to keep her hopes of a first Roland Garros alive with a hard-fought 7-5, 6-1 third-round victory at the French Open on Saturday. I put my friendship with Paula Badosa on the back burner. title.
Sabalenka, who improved her head-to-head record with Badosa to first place, said: “It’s difficult to play against your best friend. She’s an amazing player coming back after injury and I’m sure she’ll be back on top soon.” 5-2. “We are opponents on the court. I’m trying not to look at the other side of her. I’m just trying to focus on myself and give her her best game, but they’re tough games against her anyway.”
The pair have enjoyed a strong bond since 2021, but were given no quarter in a seesaw first set in the sixth game as they traded early breaks before Badosa attacked Sabalenka’s powerful serve and went ahead with a return that hit the net cord.
Spurred into action, the powerful Australian Open champion let out a scream and cheers from fans at Court Philippe Chatrier as she recovered another serve loss against her fellow 26-year-old.
Sabalenka, a semi-finalist at last year’s Roland Garros, hit a thunderous forehand to go up 6-5 and then came up with a delightful backhand slice from deep en route to wrapping up the opening set as world No. 139 Badosa reflected on a missed opportunity. .
Badosa, who rose to second but has struggled with back problems in recent years while Sabalenka won two Grand Slam titles, got off to a disappointing start as her Belarusian opponent lost all four matches in the second set. heat.
Sabalenka produced a superb drop to set up match point and the knockout blow came in the form of an unforced error of Badosa’s racket, but that setback soon gave way to a warm embrace at the net.
“Some days it’s actually getting more complicated to play,” Sabalenka said of the variety of her game. “There are so many options, so many things to think about, but today was a day where I didn’t think too much. I was just feeling the game, trusting myself and going for every shot.”
Sabalenka, who is trying to become the first player to win the Australian Open and French Open titles in the same season since Serena Williams in 2015, will next face Americans 14th-seeded Madison Keys or 22nd-seeded Emma Navarro. .
Also on Saturday, world number four Elena Rybakina continued to attract attention as she advanced to the fourth round with a routine 6-4, 6-2 win over Belgium’s Elise Mertens.
Former Wimbledon champion Rybakina will be looking for her best performance in the 2021 Paris red clay quarterfinals.
The Russian-born Kazakh player lost serve twice in the first set, but Mertens maintained his lead by breaking serve for the remainder of the set.
Powerful shots and better serves in the second set allowed 24-year-old Rybakina to finish the match in just over an hour.
“In the second set, I played with a little more confidence and my serve improved,” Rybakina said.
The two women have met five times previously, with Rybakina leading 4-1.
In the fourth round, she will face Elina Svitolina (Ukraine), ranked 19th, and Ana Bogdan (64th ranked Romania).
Information from Reuters was used in this report.
