Aryna Sabalenka took a moment to send out a classy message to Elena Rybakina following their Wuhan battle as the world No. 1 praised the Kazakh as a player but also as a person.
On Friday, Sabalenka and Rybakina met for the 13th time in their respective careers. And for the eighth time, the Belarusian finished on the winning side after registering a 6-3 6-3 win in just less than an hour and a half of play. The defending champion was in control from start to finish, collecting one break of serve in the first set and two additional breaks in the second set to get the job done routinely.
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Sabalenka: Rybakina is a great player and a very nice girl... Always pushes me to the limit
Shes a great player. Very nice girl. Always tough to play against. We have a really huge history against each other. Always great battles. Always exciting playing her. She always pushes me to the limit to get the win. Super happy with the performance today. Happy with the win. Really happy with the support in the stadium, thank you guys for coming," the world No. 1 said of the 26-year-old Kazakh.
When it comes only to the 2025 season, Sabalenka and Rybakina have met three times. In Berlin, in late June, the Belarusian pulled off one of the craziest comebacks of her career when she saved four consecutive match points in the third-set tie-break to beat the 2022 Wimbledon champion 7-6 (6) 3-6 7-6 (6). In Cincinnati, the Kazakh got her revenge by claiming a 6-1 6-4 win.
