The world number one, Aryna Sabalenka, has been one of the most consistent players this season. She has played around 58 matches this season and has a win percentage of 84.5%. Although Sabalenka has already won three titles this season, she has yet to win a major title in 2025. At the AO, she went down to America’s Madison Keys in the final, then a similar thing happened at Roland Garros, but this time her dream got shattered at the hands of the other American, Coco Gauff. However, at Wimbledon, her journey ended in the SF itself! Following a three-set defeat to Amanda Anisimova, Sabalenka joked she had “more of a hate relationship right now” with the tournament.
So, it was time for the Belarusian to fasten her seatbelts and get back on winning tracks ahead of her title defense campaign at the US Open. The 2024 Cincinnati Open champion, Aryna Sabalenka, started her campaign quite impressively in Cincy by securing a straight-sets victory against Marketa Vondrousova. But she took 3 hours and nine minutes (fourth longest in her career) to beat Emma Raducanu by 7-6(3),4-6,7-6(5) in the next round. With that win, she improved to 11-0 in first-set tiebreaks this year, but she finished the match with 46 winners and 72 unforced errors. Serena Williams’ ex-coach Rennae Stubbs revealed that she was left “confused” by some of the mistakes Sabalenka made in that match. But the ‘Tigress’ came back strongly in her next match!
She defeated Spain’s Jessica Bouzas Maneiro in the R16 by 6-1,7-5 to secure a spot in the QF of the 2025 Cincinnati Open. Aryna Sabalenka will face Elena Rybakina in the semis, but before starting her preparations for this match, Sabalenka took a subtle jibe at those who make fun of her. While addressing the crowd at the P&G Center Court in her post-match on-court interview, Sabalenka said, “People make fun of me that I always say thank you for the atmosphere. But it’s really important. I’ll keep saying thank you every interview. So thank you so much for the atmosphere guys.”
Aryna Sabalenka after beating Bouzas Maneiro in Cincinnati
“People make fun of me that I always say thank you for the atmosphere. But it’s really important. I’ll keep saying thank you every interview. So thank you so much for the atmosphere guys”
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) August 14, 2025
Despite her fiery on-court character, Aryna Sabalenka is someone who is known for showing gratitude to her fans. No matter which part of the world she is in, Sabalenka never forgets to acknowledge and thank her supporters, especially during her post-match interviews. She loves interacting with her fans and also recognizes their impact on her career.
At the 2025 Wimbledon, despite her fans getting a bit outnumbered by the roaring British crowd, in her match against the local favorite Emma Raducanu, the Belarusian was seen showcasing her gratitude towards the crowd in her post-match interview by saying, “I definitely felt all the support. It was so amazing playing and feeling the support. I didn’t have to pretend that they were cheering for me because they were really cheering for me. What can be better than that? I really enjoyed that.”
So, that’s how she is, and this is something which she loves to do after her matches, but what else did she say in her post-match interview?
Aryna Sabalenka reveals the secret to success against Jessica Bouzas Maneiro
Following an endless storm in Ohio, both these players appeared on the Center Court of Cincinnati in a chilly atmosphere. The world number one took a quick lead of 3-0 in this match, and it didn’t take much time for Aryna Sabalenka to wrap up the first set. However, despite her total dominance in this epic duel, Sabalenka was seen getting a bit frustrated by even the smallest errors in this match. Perhaps the Belarusian didn’t want to make the same mistakes she had against Raducanu.
With this win against Bouzas, Aryna Sabalenka has now secured her 50th win of this season, and this is her eighth consecutive win in Cincinnati and also the fourth consecutive QF in this tournament. A long winning streak in Cincinnati will definitely boost her confidence ahead of her title defense campaign at the US Open.
Just a few days ago, while sharing her thoughts on the upcoming challenges in the North American hard-court swing, Aryna Sabalenka said, “It’s a really important part of the season. The US Open has always been my favorite Slam. I’m the defending champion, and I love being in this position.” All she now hopes is to make full use of the lessons that she learned from the previous Slams and come out in a better shape and form at the US Open.
But talking about her secret to success in this R16 match at the Cincinnati Open, she added, “The key was to focus and put as much pressure as possible on her serve. I was up a break, made a couple of mistakes and she broke me back. I’m glad to win in straight sets – I didn’t want to stay for three hours.”
Do you think Sabalenka can beat Rybakina in her next match and move inches closer to defending her title at the Cincinnati Open? Share your thoughts in the comment box.
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