WATCH: Sabalenka Gives Rybakina's Coach Fist Bump After Loss In Beijing

Saturday, 07 October 2023 at 15:34

byNurein Ahmed

Aryna Sabalenka crashed out of the China Open in the quarterfinals, but it didn't stop her from showing a wonderful touch of sportsmanship towards her opponent's coach.

The top-seeded Sabalenka was beaten by her good friend Elena Rybakina in straight sets in Friday's blockbuster. The Kazakh has now halved the deficit in their head-to-head (2-4), having picked up her first win in the series in the final of Indian Wells earlier this year. Rybakina now leads their 2023 head-to-head 2-1.

The two players warmly embraced each other at the net. Rybakina, who hammered 12 aces, converted four of nine break points in a sparkling performance on her Beijing debut appearance. Sabalenka will now prepare to close out the season just the way she started it by winning the title at the WTA Finals, which begins on October 29th.

After her quarterfinal loss in Beijing, Sabalenka packed her belongings and as she exited the court, she smiled while exchanging a fist bump with Rybakina's controversial coach Stefanos Vukov who was standing courtside.

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Meanwhile, Rybakina took to the court to share her thoughts in her post-match interview. The 24-year-old was delighted with her strong serving display. She will face Russian power hitter Liudmila Samsonova in Saturday's semifinal. In three head-to-head meetings, Samsonova has won all of them, and Rybakina is hoping she can reprise her performance against Sabalenka.

"I played really well today honestly I didn't expect it. I served really well, so I'm really happy with my performance today. It's always tough battles against Aryna and I always enjoy playing against her."

— Rybakina shared her thoughts during her on-court interview

"It's always tough to play against Liudmila and for now I wasn't really successful. I will try to do my best. Of course, recover and hopefully, I am gonna play the same tomorrow as I did today."