London [UK], July 7 : The World No.2 Aryna Sabalenka overcame a sluggish start to take out Varvara Gracheva 2-6, 7-5, 6-2 in three sets to reach the third round of the ongoing Wimbledon 2023 on Friday.
Sabalenka will next face Anna Blinkova for a spot in the fourth round. Sabalenka won nine of the last 11 games.
Sabalenka broke Gracheva's serve in the first two minutes of the match to take the lead. She was then broken herself.
At 2-3, Sabalenka was overcome with emotion and looked to her box, gesticulating with her hands. Sabalenka served double faults No. 4 and No. 5, then fired a weak forehand and an inaccurate backhand long to keep the set at 5-2. The entire exercise took 34 minutes, and Sabalenka quickly exited the court for a much-needed rest.
Gracheva began the second set with another love game, scoring 10 points in a row. Later, at 5-4, Gracheva found herself serving for the match but was broken. Sabalenka won the final three games to tie the match.
Sabalenka was the sole performer in the third set. She twice broke Gracheva and was perfect on her own serve. Sabalenka finished the match with eight aces.
"I was a little bit crazy in that moment. I can't throw my racquet on the grass, so I felt like at least I need to scream, kind of lose it a little bit. After that, I felt a little bit better. I felt a little relief inside, and started thinking a little bit better," Sabalenka was quoted as saying by WTA.com.
"I didn't play my best tennis. It was really crazy, crazy experience. But then I change my strings, kind of adjust my game a little bit, start feeling better on court. I kept telling myself keep fighting, keep trying, and probably you'll be able to turn around this game. Super tough one and super happy to get this win," Sabalenka said.
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