CHINA OPEN

September 28, 2024

Aryna Sabalenka

Press Conference

A. SABALENKA/M. Sawangkaew

6-4, 6-1

THE MODERATOR: Congratulations on your win today in straight sets. Give us your keys to victory today in the match.

ARYNA SABALENKA: Yeah, I'm super happy to get through this match. I played some really tricky tennis. For this surface with these balls, it's can be really tough to play against.

In the first set I was struggling a little bit with the rhythm, with the speed of the court, with the way balls are getting heavier. Yeah, was just trying to find my rhythm.

In the second set, seems like everything start working much better. Everything was getting back together. I think that's why it was more smooth and better quality.

THE MODERATOR: Questions.

Q. She really refused to back down, making you work for every point. When your opponent plays like that, just hanging around, how does that affect your style of play?

ARYNA SABALENKA: I would say maybe before, I don't know, three years ago, would affect me a lot because you put so much energy, and the ball is keep coming back. You feel like, okay, there's no way you can finish the point.

These days I'm more like, okay, she can run as long as she can. At some point she's going to get tired and I can stay there, I can hit the ball as long as I need. I've been working so hard on that part of the game.

Nowadays, it not really affecting me. But yeah, sometimes it's tricky. When you see opponent putting so much tricky balls back, you have to come up with something else. Yeah, it's can be tricky.

I actually had fun in those highlight points, I would say.

Q. Now a lot of fans are supporting you in China. Does that bring you any encouragement? Do you have any words to the Chinese fans because a lot of them are coming from far away?

ARYNA SABALENKA: Yeah, I'm having a lot of great memories from the past. Actually, I don't even know how many tournaments I won in China. Yeah, it's always great to come back and feel the atmosphere, feel the vibe, knowing that I kind of gain my fan club here.

It's actually amazing. It's give me, like, more motivation to go there and compete and bring my best tennis and make sure I stay till the last stages of the tournament so I can enjoy this atmosphere as much as possible.