Aryna Sabalenka got a bit carried away at the 2023 US Open, forgetting the rules and celebrating her victory over Madison Keys too early.
Aryna Sabalenka and Madison Keys battled for a spot in the US Open final, which was a proper battle. Things went really badly for the Belarusian early as she lost the opening set 6-0 but then rallied to win the next two.
The final set was one that was particularly emotional as she was down 2-4 at one point, with Keys seemingly in control of the match. Sabalenka rallied, broke back, and remained in the match, securing the tiebreak.
She played a bit better than the American, jumping out to an early lead of 4-0. That lead grew until 7-3 when Sabalenka dropped her racquet, seemingly thinking that she had won the match. Generally, she would have won in any other event other than this one, but Grand Slams have different rules.
The deciding tie-break at the US Open is played to 10, called a super tie-break or a championship tie-break. That was the case in this match, and Sabalenka was actually three points short of actually winning at that time.
She quickly realized that after her team reminded her that and laughed about it. Even with that, the Belarusian didn't lose her focus and kept playing well, getting to number 10 first. She won the match and secured a final showdown with Coco Gauff.
It was a funny sequence, but ultimately, she got the job done and secured the final. Coco Gauff is waiting for her, and that matchup will be a very interesting one. Both players have experience with playing a Grand Slam final, but only one won it. If you want to see how she celebrated prematurely, you can check that out in the video below.
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