SABALENKA SPOILS BARTY’S PARTY IN ZHUHAI
ZHUHAI: Big-hitting Aryna Sabalenkawastoostrongforashleigh Barty in the opening singles clash of the WTA Elite Trophy in China on Tuesday, taking the match 6-4, 6-4.
Thetournament’syoungestplayer produced some typically aggressive Tennis in Zhuhai, showing the form that has seen her shoot up the world rankings from 39th to 12th place in just three months.
Belarus’ssabalenka,20,madethe most of breaking Australian Barty, 22, in the very first game of the match, seeing out a nip-and-tuck opening set.
In-form Sabalenka looked the more confident of the two in the early stages, and the third seed held her nerve to pull out her first two aces to clinch the set.
Ninth seed Barty took the initiative in the second set, breaking in the fourth game, only for Sabalenka to break back in Barty’s two following service games.
The pair produced some thrilling base-line battles for the spectators at the Hengqin International Tennis Center, but Sabalenka turned the screw to see out the match in one hour, 26 minutes.
“I think I played well in the first set, and in the second set I probably started to rush a little bit and make a lot of mistakes, and kind of stupid mistakes,” Sabalenka said after the match.
‘WILL NEVER DO IT AGAIN’
Sabalenka has apologised for an on-court tantrum in which she shook an empty bottle in the direction of a ball boy before tossing it on the floor.
The big-hitting Belarusian faced criticism after footage of the episode during her quarter-final defeat to Wang Qiang at the China Open in early October was shared widely on social media.
But following a winning start at the WTA Elite Trophy in Zhuhai, the 20-year-old vowed to “never do it again”. “Well, I’m so sorry,” she said.
Barty said: “I’m disappointed not to come away with the win, but I’ll have another opportunity in the next few days to try and finish my season on a real high.”
In Tuesday’s second singles match, fourth seed Elise Mertens from Belgium comfortably beat Estonia’s Anett Kontaveit, the tenth seed, 6-3, 6-1.
Now in its fourth year the Elite Trophy features 12 players ranked roughly from nine to 20.