World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka revealed that she struggled with a stomach issue during her second-round win over Katie Boulter and relied on taking a carbonated drink to alleviate the problem.
Sabalenka was spotted chugging a can of Pepsi in her match against British No. 1 Boulter who stretched the Belarusian in a tight contest. Boulter served for the first and second sets, but could not close out either of the sets as Sabalenka fought back valiantly.
The top seed at the China Open sipped on the drink throughout the match after receiving the can from her team along with a new racket. To celebrate victory just before her post-match on-court interview, she guzzled at the Pepsi can one final time.
Sabalenka is not affiliated with the carbonated soft drink but explained that it was meant to ease her stomach troubles. The 25-year-old laughed when quizzed whether the drink helped her mount a comeback in both sets in which she trailed, and she concurred. She also praised Boulter for fighting until the very last point.
"Yeah that's definitely the secret (laughing). But honestly, I didn't feel well with my stomach. Pepsi or Cola usually help you with this kind of stuff. So I was just like hoping Pepsi was going to help me. So it kind of helped me a little bit."
"I mean, it’s always great battles against Katie. She’s really an incredible player. Super happy that I won this match. It was really tough, it was a tough match. I don’t know, I just tried to stay focused and I just tried to put as many balls in as I can."
Sabalenka safely advanced into the last 16 at the China Open where she will meet unseeded Italian Jasmine Paolini. Four of Sabalenka's first five titles came on Chinese soil, but she has never gone beyond the quarterfinal in Beijing before.
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