World No. 7 Aryna Sabalenka took on World No. 1 Ashleigh Barty in the final of the Stuttgart Open 2021 yesterday. Unfortunately, the result didn’t go in favor of Sabalenka, and she quashed her chances of lifting her second title of the season. It was a close-fought battle, and the match was settled after the third and final set.
After the match, Aryna Sabalenka posted a picture on Instagram. The 22-year-old player saw the funny side of things and the picture she posted justified it. In the picture, the finalist is seen in a squat-like position, with her hands spread wide parallel to her.
She posted the picture with an amusing caption that read, “When you see Ashleigh Barty driving away with your Porsche #enjoyit.”
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Players on Tour find Aryna Sabalenka’s post hilarious
As the picture went up on social media, there were a few reactions from the rest of the women on Tour. Australian Open runner-up Jennifer Brady commented, “Best caption”. Prior to her, it was Swiss tennis player Belinda Bencic who left a laughing emoji. Russian tennis player Elena Vesnina also commented, “The best”.
Reflecting on her match yesterday, Sabalenka took firm control of the match after winning the first set comfortably. However, the Australian player was quick to regroup and showed why she is the best player in the world. She claimed the second set and did not allow her opponent to win a single game in the set.
Ashleigh Barty took control of the match in the third set
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After the second set, Sabalenka took a medical timeout. Nonetheless, she was quick to return, but the momentum was clearly with Ashleigh Barty, who broke early in the third to put herself in the driving seat.
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Both players will feature in the Mutua Madrid Open, beginning next week. It is the first WTA 1000 clay-court event of the season and players will be looking to go for glory, since the French Open is around the corner.