WTA Dubai: Aryna Sabalenka looking for consistency and rhythm
Aryna Sabalenka leads the field at the WTA 500 tournament in Dubai. In the United Arab Emirates, the 23-year-old primarily wants to work on her consistency.
by Nikolaus Fink
last edit:
Feb 14, 2022, 08:59 pm
The dream of the first Grand Slam title was not to come true at the Australian Open 2022 either: Aryna Sabalenka was defeated by Kaia Kanepi in the eighth final in three sets and must therefore continue to wait for her debut triumph at major level. This week, the Belarusian returns to the tour in Dubai - and would like to be more consistent than Down Under.
Because in Adelaide and Melbourne Sabalenka had massive problems, especially with her serve, more than ten double mistakes per game were part of the everyday life of the 23-year-old. "It was tough matches in Australia. (...) I just had to start again and start training," said the second in the world rankings, looking back on the past few weeks.
She thought about starting at the tournament in St. Petersburg, but ultimately decided not to start in Russia for reasons of recovery. Before the event in Dubai, Sabalenka's route is now clear: "After the start of the season, I would say that my goal is to bring consistency to my game and find my rhythm again. At the moment, every match is a struggle for me."
In the past two years, Sabalenka has reached the quarter-finals in Dubai. In 2022, as a top seeded player, she is one of the favorites to win the tournament. "I'm feeling good. I'm ready. I can't wait to play here," said the 23-year-old. At the start Sabalenka meets Marta Kostyuk on Tuesday.