Tennis US Open
New world number one doesn’t know the rules and celebrates too early
Status: 08/09/2023 | Reading time: 2 minutes
Happy at first, but really happy a few minutes later: Aryna Sabalenka
Those: AFP/COREY SIPKIN
A strange scene occurs in the semi-finals at the US Open. After 0:6 in the first set, Aryna Sabalenka fought off her opponent Madison Keys. In the third set tiebreak it becomes obvious that she doesn’t know the rules well.
The favorite Aryna Sabalenka prevented an American final at the US Open. The 25-year-old Belarusian defeated the American Madison Keys early on Friday morning after a completely botched first set with 0:6, 7:6 (7:1), 7:6 (10:5) and reached the Grand Slam tournament for the first time New York the final.
There Sabalenka will meet US star Coco Gauff, who previously won against Czech Karolina Muchova 6:4, 7:5. The first semi-final was interrupted for almost 50 minutes due to a protest by environmental activists. According to the organizers, three people were initially taken away in a statement. “When security arrived, one person was taped to the ground with bare feet,” tournament director Stacey Allaster told ESPN, explaining the lengthy suspension.
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There was also an unusual scene in the second game, albeit on the pitch. In the tie-break of the third set, Sabalenka celebrated prematurely. After the 7:3 she dropped the racket in joy, but realized a little later that the tie-break in the decisive round would be played to ten. You would think that a semi-finalist in a Grand Slam tournament would be aware of this, but she wasn’t.
“It was crazy,” Sabalenka said
“I thought we were going to play until seven. “It was crazy,” Sabalenka said later, but she didn’t let her premature celebration bother her. She won the tie-break safely with 10:5 and was then able to celebrate the victory again.
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Sabalenka prevented her third semi-final defeat at the US Open in a row by improving her performance after the slap in the opening set. The Australian Open winner will take over the top position in the world rankings for the first time from Poland’s Iga Swiatek next week.
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