Aryna Sabalenka was on the verge of blowing a big lead versus Elena Rybakina when a baby started crying, prompting a hilarious reaction from the 26-year-old and her stating that she also felt like crying.
On Thursday, the world No. 1 stormed past the opening five games of her World Tennis League opener. But then out of nowhere, the Belarusian started missing out on her chances – she didn’t convert a total of nine match points across five different games.
After recovering from a 5-0 deficit and forcing a tie-break, Rybakina also opened a 2-1 lead in the tie-break. As Sabalenka was preparing to serve, a baby from the stands started to cry.
That’s when the three-time Grand Slam champion showed her funny side again.
Aryna Sabalenka© X screenshot
“That’s exactly how I feel right now,” the Belarusian tennis star was heard saying.
Aryna Sabalenka after losing a 5-0 lead against Elena Rybakina at World Tennis League
*Baby starts crying*
Aryna: “That’s exactly how I feel right now” 😂
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) December 19, 2024
Sabalenka prevented a major Rybakina comeback and then dropped another hilarious comment
When the match resumed, the world No. 1 lost the following point and the Kazakh went 3-1 up. However, the reigning Australian Open and US Open champion didn’t panic and responded by winning the next six points and sealing a 7-6 (3) win – it’s only one-set matches in Abu Dhabi.
When asked about nearly blowing a big lead, Sabalenka joked that Rybakina was a really nice person so she decided to allow her to get back into the match.
“I was just telling myself you can’t be that tough on Elena. She’s such a nice person. You cannot do that to her. So okay, let’s be friendly get it to five all and then we will see who is going to get that one,” the 26-year-old hilariously said.
Although it was just an exhibition match, Sabalenka and Rybakina didn’t fail to make it a very entertaining clash.
Tennis World USA