Aryna Sabalenka faced a tricky challenge in Dayana Yastremska at the 2024 Italian Open, but the Belarusian passed the test easily.
Yastremska is a tricky player to play against because she brings a lot of power from the baseline. She's quite similar in that regard to Sabalenka who fits the same description. Both of them can crush their opponents from the baseline while also serving decently.
That's why they both did so well earlier this year at the Australian Open. We nearly got this matchup in the final, but in the end, fans in Rome got to see it. It was a good match, as Yastremska played pretty decently. The first set went 6-4 to Sabalenka, purely because the second seed had actually converted her chances.
Yastremska had the first break point; in fact, she missed out on two by the time Sabalenka got her first. The crucial difference is that the Belarusian actually converted the break point, and that was enough to win the opening set 6-4.
Obviously, that mattered a lot because the Ukrainian is a streaky player. If she wins the first set, the chances that she wins the second one go up, but because she didn't, her confidence tanked a little. Sabalenka would see break chances immediately at the start of the second set in a brutal game that lasted over 15 minutes. Sabalenka would see 7 break points and finally convert the seventh to take a 2-1 lead.
From there it was a rather simple cruise for Sabalenka who would add another break after that. Yastremska couldn’t keep the same level after the first set even though she battled well early in the second. It's been a pattern for her and what's kept her from becoming a truly great player.
It was a good win for Sabalenka with the final score being 6-4, 6-2.
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