Best vs Best… and the Queen might fall, but anger the bubbles up! It’s youth vs experience. Power vs guile. No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka is taking on the oldest first-time Wimbledon quarterfinalist, Laura Siegemund, in a match packed with tension and twists. But this time, the queen’s crown is clearly under threat. Sabalenka, the tournament favorite, started off on the back foot, and her frustration was loud and clear, not just with herself, but with the ball boys too.
She lost the first set 6-4 after being broken twice early. Sabalenka was visibly agitated during the fifth game, throwing her arms up and rolling her eyes when the ball boys weren’t quick enough to get the balls to her. At one point, she knocked a few balls back in frustration after having to wait for them to be rolled across from Siegemund’s end. The boiling point showed just how unsettled she was by the unexpected dominance of her German opponent.
Siegemund, ranked 104th in the world and 37 years old, has been absolutely fearless. Mixing smart slices, drop shots, and perfectly timed winners, she dismantled Sabalenka’s rhythm from the very start. She jumped to a 3-0 lead, forcing Sabalenka into uncharacteristic errors. The Belarusian, who hadn’t dropped a set all tournament, found herself being pulled in every direction, mentally and physically. Commentator Tracey Austin summed it up best: “You never know what’s coming next from Siegemund, I would hate to play her. She has you on a string when she is playing her best.”
While the match remains on tenterhooks in the second set, the first-set loss served as a wake-up call for Sabalenka. The queen may have stumbled, but knowing her fire, she wouldn’t go down without a fight.
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