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World No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka honored her sister's wish with a heartfelt gesture following her third-round victory at the 2023 Madrid Open.
Sabalenka, the second seed, defeated Colombian wildcard Camila Osorio at the Caja Magica on Saturday (April 29) to advance to the fourth round of the Madrid Open.
The Belarusian's victory did not come easily, as Osorio fought her hard in the first set. However, Sabalenka's power game eventually proved too difficult for the 22-year-old Colombian to solve.
Following her victory, Aryna Sabalenka kept her promise to her younger sister, Tonechka Sabalenka, to say 'Hi' to her on camera. She said she loves and misses her sister and gave her a flying kiss.
"I promised my sister to say 'Hi' to her, so 'Hi Tonya, I love you and I miss you'," she said.
Sabalenka also expressed her delight at winning and heaped praise on her opponent, describing her as a great player who fought for every point.
"I'm happy with the win. She's a great player and she fought for every point. It was a really great match," Sabalenka said.
"I was just telling myself to keep going for my shots and don't start panicking" - Aryna Sabalenka
Aryna Sabalenka then stated that she expected a tough fight from her opponent, Camila Osorio. The 24-year-old kept telling herself that she needed to keep going for the shots rather than panicking and prevent the Colombian from moving.
"That's something that I expected, especially against players like her. She can return, she can play long rallies, and she can come back to the match. I just kept telling myself I have to keep going for my shots and I just have to make her move because she's not going to move all day long. Once I will get this approach shot and I will be able to finish the point," Sabalenka said.
"So I was just telling myself to keep going for my shots and don't start panicking," she added.
Sabalenka, who finished runner-up in the Stuttgart Open last week against World No.1 Iga Swiatek, will face 16-year-old Mirra Andreeva or 17th seed Magda Linette in the fourth round.
The 2023 Australian Open champion is a one-time winner at the Madrid Open. She won the title in 2021 by defeating former World No. 1 Ashleigh Barty in three sets, 6-0, 3-6, 6-4.
