Aryna Sabalenka suffered another disappointing result ahead of Wimbledon as the world No. 1 was knocked out of the Berlin Open semifinals by Jessica Pegula on Saturday. The Belarusian lost 6-4, 6-7(4), 6-0 in a match that ended with a one-sided deciding set, adding to concerns over her recent form.
Sabalenka looked close to forcing a turnaround after recovering from losing the opening set. She stayed composed in the second set and won the tiebreak to push the contest into a decider. However, the momentum quickly shifted as Pegula took complete control in the final set and did not allow Sabalenka to win a single game.
The defeat ended Sabalenkaโs run in Berlin and came at a crucial stage of her preparations for Wimbledon, which begins just after a week. The 27-year-old had entered the grass-court event hoping to regain confidence after an early exit at the French Open, but the Bagel in the third round could further add doubt in her mind.ย
Sabalenkaโs recent history of poor run
Notably, before her semifinal loss, Sabalenka showed signs of improvement in Berlin. She defeated Ekaterina Alexandrova in the earlier rounds and then overcame Czech teenager Nikola Bartunkova in a challenging three-set quarterfinal to reach the final four.
Despite the defeat, Sabalenka remains one of the leading contenders for Wimbledon, where she has reached the semifinals three times. However, she is yet to lift the trophy at the All England Club and her latest defeat has raised questions about her ability to maintain consistency during important matches.
The world No. 1 has endured a difficult period in recent months. Her struggles began at the Madrid Open in April, where she suffered a surprise defeat against American Hailey Baptiste after failing to convert six match points. She then faced another setback at the Italian Open, losing to Romaniaโs Sorana Cirstea after taking the opening set. The defeat also came amid concerns over a lower-back issue that affected her during the match.
At the French Open, Sabalenka experienced another painful exit after losing to Diana Shnaider in the quarterfinals. She had won the first set and held control in the second before Shnaider completed a comeback victory. Following that loss, Sabalenka admitted she felt like she wanted to “quit tennis” after missing the opportunity to progress further at Roland Garros.
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