Sabalenka's Miami Open Dreams Dashed In Quarterfinals
WTAWednesday, 29 March 2023 at 21:53
Updated at Sunday, 09 March 2025 at 14:39
Aryna Sabalenka surprisingly lost to Sorana Cirstea in Miami despite being one of the favorites to win the title.
The Romanian player remains one of those players who are capable of doing anything on the tennis court at any given moment. While her overall form hasn’t been that special in recent times, the Romanian can beat anybody at any time.
She proved that by beating Sabalenka, who has been arguably the best player in the world this season despite having some physical issues in Miami. Sabalenka won the Australian Open and made the Indian Wells Open final recently.
The Belarusian was playing super solid tennis lately as well, but the Romanian proved better, and it was a relatively simple win as she did it in two sets.
The final score was 6-4 6-3, though it was an 87-minute match. The match didn’t feature too many twists and turns. Cirstea took an early break and held it comfortably for most of the opening set.
At 4-3, she did lose her serve to make it 4-4 but immediately broke again to take a 5-4 lead and, this time around, held it to make it 6-4. Sabalenka was just a bit too erratic. Most points did end on her own terms, but she wasn’t really precise with it.
The second set was more or less the same as Sabalenka once again struggled to really play as well as she could. On the other side, Cirstea did really well, especially on her own serve, where she was able to control the rallies rather well.
Taking an early break was crucial for Cirstea because when Sabalenka broke a bit later, it wasn’t the end of the world. She could simply refocus and keep playing the way she can, and it worked out.
Cirstea once again broke her opponent's serve to win the match 6-4, 6-4. It was a great win for the Romanian, who was overwhelmed by emotions when talking after the match.
"I think I’m a bit speechless. It’s a bit unexpected, to be honest. People like to keep count of the age, years, results, I never do that. I just mind my own business, work hard, do my thing, believe in my game. I’m not defined by numbers."
"I’m very fit, playing well, I think I’m playing the best tennis of my life. I’m at a good place in my life, personally. I said many times I’m not defined by numbers. I love what I do. As long as I have results, I will be here."
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