“I Didn’t Want Her To Lose”

By Chris Oddo | @TheFanChild | Monday September 4, 2023

Aryna Sabalenka has by no means been one to draw back from a problem. Earlier this season, when she was over 4,000 factors behind Iga Swiatek within the WTA rankings, she declared her mission: to do the unimaginable, and overtake the Pole on the high of the WTA rankings.

She had her probability this week on the US Open – all she needed to do was match Swiatek’s end result to rise to No.1 – and secured the highest rating when Swiatek misplaced to Jelena Ostapenko within the spherical of 16 on Sunday night time in New York.

It’s a lifelong dream realized for the Belarusian, nevertheless it didn’t occur the best way Sabalenka wished. She says she was rooting for Swiatek to win as a result of she wished to fulfill her within the closing and take issues into her personal arms.

“To be honest, I didn’t want her to lose,” Sabalenka advised reporters after powering previous Daria Kasatkina 6-1, 6-3 in Arthur Ashe Stadium on Monday night time. “I was watching that match and I was just like, C’mon, win it. I was really not sure, but after some of the upsets, I thought she’s probably going to make it to the final.

“I was just thinking I’m going to do everything I can, possible and impossible, to reach the final and decide everything on court.”

Sabalenka mentioned she was sucked in by the Swiatek-Ostapenko encounter on Sunday night time, however lastly determined it might be higher to fall asleep throughout the third set of Ostapenko’s 3-6, 6-3, 6-1 triumph.

In the morning, she awoke, opened her cellphone and discovered that she would grow to be the WTA’s twenty ninth No.1 in historical past on Monday September 11.

“Yeah, it was a nice morning to wake up,” she mentioned.

Sabalenka went on to speak about how she revered Swiatek and seemed ahead to extra battles towards her within the years to come back.

“She’s unbelievable,” she mentioned. “She has been world No. 1 for a long time, most of the weeks I think. Really happy that we have Iga on tour, someone who motivates like me, especially like me, to keep pushing, keep trying, keep improving myself.

“I think that’s the real sport, you know? When you kind of push yourself to the limits and you are trying to get better. I think it’s a normal process when someone changes with another one in the position in the ranking.

“I feel like it’s great that we are playing great this year, we are kind of pushing each other. I really hope we’ll keep doing that and we’ll keep facing each other in the very last stages of the tournaments, we’ll battle against each other – this is what sport is.”