Aryna Sabalenka has warned her rivals she is just getting warmed up on the clay, ahead of the French Open. The World No. 1 suffered a shock exit in the quarter-finals of the Madrid Open to US star Hailey Baptiste.
Sabalenka convincingly took the first set 6-2, but lost the second by the same scoreline, before Baptiste went on to edge her in a deciding tiebreak 8-6. It was a surprising result for the tennis world, with Sabalenka overcoming Naomi Osaka, Jaqueline Cristian and Peyton Stearns in her last three matches. Nevertheless, her huge fan-base came out to support her in the comments section of her recent post. Not long after her loss was confirmed, Sabalenka made it clear she is only in the early stages of her claycourt campaign.
She uploaded a series of pictures and videos of her competing in Madrid with other pictures of her passionate fans. The Belarusian also wrote: “Not the ending I wanted, but proud of the work I put in. We’re just getting started with clay season,” suggesting her game on the clay is only going to improve.
In the comments section, a fan account from Brazil wrote: “Yes, so proud! Your numbers just show how good and how much you’re improving! Keep an eye on RG! This year is yours!”
Another, in all capitals, also commented: “We are always our super queen. We love you,” before a third said: “So good to see you playing in Madrid again – still got a lot of clay to play!”
After the match, Sabalenka was calm about her showing in the Spanish capital, despite exiting at, by her standards, an early stage. She said: “It was a tough match. She (Baptiste) played very well, and I played well too.
“I think I had some opportunities in the third set. I felt like maybe I was a bit rushed in some points at that moment. But it’s okay; sometimes you have to learn, take the negatives from this week, and move on.
“I think she played some great points. I had some chances and didn’t capitalise on them. I feel she played very courageous tennis in those match point moments, and that made the difference.”
Last year, Sabalenka got all the way to the final at Roland Garros, only to lose to Coco Gauff in the final 7-6, 2-6, 4-6. She will be one of the main contenders in Paris when the Grand Slam starts on May 18.