Aryna Sabalenka says she is ‘super hungry’ for success at the French Open after sealing her place in the quarter-finals on Sunday.
The world No.1 defeated a spirited Amanda Anisimova 7-5, 6-3, in what was a stern test. Sabalenka has experienced difficulty against the American in their past encounters, winning just two out of their seven previous meetings. In their latest clash, she lost three games in a row when leading 5-2 in the opening set but managed to hold her nerve to close it out.
Meanwhile, in the second frame, Sabalenka failed to convert six match points during an 11-minute Anisimova service game. In the following game, she failed to make use of her seventh opportunity before finally closing the match out with a winner down the line.
“She’s a great player. We had a lot of really tough battles in the past,” Sabalenka said of Anisimova.
“I was so focused today. I was trying to put as much pressure back on her as I could.
“I tried to change some rhythm, make sure that she’s not hitting in one rhythm all the time, and I’m super happy with the win.
“It was a tough one. She challenged me a lot.”
Sabalenka, who has now won 20 matches at Roland Garros so far in her career, has achieved a milestone in women’s tennis that was last accomplished by Serena Williams. She has reached the quarter-finals at 10 consecutive Grand Slam tournaments.
However, the 27-year-old is yet to contest the title match in Paris with her best run being to the semi-finals in 2023. Last year she lost in the quarter-finals during a match in which she struggled with discomfort in her abdominal area due to suspected food poisoning.
“I definitely learned a lesson, and I’ll do my best to make sure that I’m healthy and fit in that quarterfinal match,” she said.
“I’m super hungry for this tournament and I love this place. I want to stay till the very last day.
“I’ll go out there in the quarterfinals and I’ll do my very, very best.”
Awaiting her in the next round will be China’s Qinwen Zheng, who won the Olympic title at Roland Garros last summer. The Chinese eighth seed battled her way past Russia’s Liudmila Samsonova 7-6(5), 1-6, 6-3. Becoming the second player from her country to reach the last eight in Roland Garros in the Open Era after former champion Li Na.
“It is true I won the gold medal last year but I don’t consider myself as a defending champion at Roland Garros,” said Zheng.
“It’s different because in a Grand Slam, we need to play seven matches, and the Olympic Games is six matches to get a gold medal.
“Right now I just want to stay calm and fight every single match. Forget what happened last year, just fight at this moment in Roland Garros.”
Sabalenka leads Zheng 6-1 in their head-to-head.
