“Already in the Locker Room”: Aryna Sabalenka on Her Groundbreaking Comeback in Ostrava Open

World No.12 Aryna Sabalenka staged an emphatic comeback in the quarterfinals of the Ostrava Open. Facing Spanish qualifier Sara Sorribes Tormo, Sabalenka lost the first ten games of the match to go 0-6, 0-4 down. However, she won the next twelve consecutive games to win the match despite being on the verge of elimination.

At 4-0 up in the second set, Sorribes Tormo created two break point opportunities of her opponent’s serve but Sabalenka came back with a series of winners and eventually held her service game to go 1-4.

That proved to the turning point of the match as the No.3 seed broke Sorribes Tormo immediately to shift the momentum on her side. The third set was no different as Sabalenka charged to a commanding 5-0 lead and closed out the match with a superb backhand winner.

Notably, Sabalenka hit 41 of the total 47 winners during the last two sets of the showdown. During the post-match interview, she talked about the poor start to the match and admitted that she struggled to keep the ball in play for the first set and a half. Sabalenka contended that she was happy about fighting her way back into the match.

“I don’t know, I need to do something about it. Maybe, I have to play a set before I go on the court match. I felt so sorry, I don’t even know what to say, it was so crazy.  I couldn’t put the ball in, I wasn’t on the court. I was yelling, screaming, and doing crazy things. At 0-4 [in the second set], I was already in the locker room.” said Sabalenka

Aryna Sabalenka storms into the semifinals

The Belarusian will face Jennifer Brady at the penultimate stage of the tournament. Brady defeated Veronika Kudermetova in the quarterfinals despite losing the opening set.

During the on-court interaction, Sabalenka joked about the need to focus from the beginning in her upcoming match against Brady to have any chances to win. The duo will square off for the first time against each other.