"I don't know how I did it" - Aryna Sabalenka on beating Elena Rybakina in Madrid Open SF

Aryna Sabalenka recently shared her thoughts on her Madrid Open semifinal victory over Elena Rybakina on Thursday.

Defending champion Sabalenka kept her hopes alive of retaining her title by defeating Rybakina 1-6, 7-5, 7-6(5) in two hours and 17 minutes to secure her place in the final.

Throughout the match, the World No. 2 hit 35 winners and committed 29 unforced errors, while Rybakina managed 31 winners to 23 unforced errors. With this win, Sabalenka bagged a place in her third final of the season. She also ended the Kazakh's impressive 16-match clay-court winning streak.

Last year, Aryna Sabalenka defeated Iga Swiatek 6-3, 3-6, 6-3 to claim her second Madrid title. Her first title came in 2021 when she defeated Ashleigh Barty 6-0, 3-6, 6-4 in the championship match. This year, the final will be a rematch of last year's showdown, as Swiatek defeated Madison Keys to advance to the final.

Speaking to the press after her challenging victory over Elena Rybakina, Sabalenka expressed her relief and joy following the hard-fought win. She confessed to being unsure of how she managed to pull off a win in such a close match.

“Honestly, I don't know how I did it. I was just trying to do my best, trying to fight for every point. I was hoping to have the opportunity to turn the game around, so I'm super happy I got it,” Sabalenka said, as quoted by Punto de Break (translated from Spanish).

The Belarusian also expressed her happiness at winning the match, especially after struggling with her serve throughout the first set.

"I'm very happy because it was a very tough match, I spent the entire first set fighting against my serve, I couldn't gain confidence until I started winning some games more easily. This gave me extra energy to continue fighting and testing my serve, and then go break him and get back into the match. Getting back to normal with my serve gave me the opportunity to fight for the match,” she added.

Aryna Sabalenka will face Iga Swiatek in the final of Madrid Open 2024

Aryna Sabalenka and Iga Swiatek will go up against each other in the final of the 2024 Madrid Open.

Sabalenka, seeded second in the tournament, kicked off her WTA 1000 Madrid campaign in the second round after receiving a first-round bye. She faced a tough challenge in her opening match against Magda Linette, ultimately winning it 6-3, 3-6, 6-3.

The Belarusian then continued her winning streak by defeating Americans Robin Montgomery 6-1, 6-7(5), 6-4 and Danielle Collins 4-6, 6-4, 6-3 in the third and fourth rounds, respectively.

Aryna Sabalenka next overcame Mirra Andreeva 6-1, 6-4 in the quarterfinals before edging Elena Rybakina in the semifinals to secure her spot in the final.

Meanwhile, Iga Swiatek also started her Madrid Open campaign in the second round. She defeated Wang Xiyu 6-1, 6-4 in the second round and then went on to blank Sorana Cirstea 6-1, 6-1 and Sara Sorribes Tormo 6-1, 6-0 in the third and fourth rounds, respectively.

The World No. 1 then pulled off a 4-6, 6-0, 6-2 comeback win over Beatriz Haddad Maia in the quarterfinals. She pummeled Madison Keys 6-1, 6-3 in the semifinals to move to the championship match where she will face Sabalenka.

Aryna Sabalenka and Iga Swiatek have faced each other nine times on the WTA tour, with the Pole winning six out of those nine matches. Their most recent encounter was at the semifinals of the 2023 WTA Finals, where the World No. 1 defeated Sabalenka 6-3, 6-2.