Aryna Sabalenka’s composure took a hit during her semifinal match against Madison Keys on Thursday night.
Following a disastrous first set loss, 6-0, she vented her frustration by slamming her racket down before eventually tossing it toward her coaching staff.
The moment didn’t escape the notice of ESPN’s Chris Fowler, who humorously quipped, “Even that comes up short.” This well-timed jab was a nod to Sabalenka’s early-match struggles.
Watch below:
Despite her initial struggles, Sabalenka managed to claw her way back into the match, forcing a second-set tiebreak against Keys, which she convincingly won. She proceeded to push the match into a third-set tiebreak and did just enough to secure her spot in the championship match.
In a post-match interview with ESPN, Sabalenka candidly discussed her emotional interaction with her coaching team.
She jokingly declared, “They’re fired; they’re not my team anymore.” She went on to explain that they had an understanding that she needed to release her emotions during the match to avoid internalizing them.
This release took the form of yelling, screaming, and even some choice words directed at her coaching staff.
As Sabalenka prepares to face Coco Gauff in the upcoming final, she’ll need to replicate the successful form she found in the latter two sets of her match against Keys.
Check out more of the hot head below:
