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Aryna Sabalenka overcame struggles to secure a hard-fought win against Laura Siegemund at the quarterfinals of Wimbledon. Fans were in shock and scoffed at the Belarusian, saying that 66-year-old John McEnroe would be able to beat her if she played like this.
The World No. 1 dropped the first set 6-4 to the 37-year-old German, but recollected and won the next set 6-2. Siegemund was impeccable in the third as she went 3-1 over Sabalenka but succumbed to the latter's strong serves and controlled returns. Winning a total of 104 points and 29 winners throughout the two hour and 54 minute duel, the 27-year-old booked a spot in the semifinals for the third time in London.
The comeback, however, did not impress the fans as they believed that Siegemund was more dominant in the match, pushing Sabalenka to her limits. They took to X (formerly Twitter) to express their shock at seeing Sabalenka struggle so badly, as some joked that former seven-time Grand Slam champion McEnroe could beat her at this age.
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Here are some of the fan reactions:
"I genuinely reckon John McEnroe at 66 years old would beat Aryna Sabalenka on any surface," wrote one.
"I’m still thinking what the hell was this match because it was peak laughable at some point," posted another.
"0 talent, just strength. You can't be the number one and commit this amount of easy errors, it's comical," posted an angry fan.
"I have never seen a number one as stressed as Sabalenka. She is more stressed than her opponents. It’s really hard for her fans," critiqued a fan.
"Not really, Laura defeated herself out of nervousness," stated another.
"That was an abysmal performance by the world number 1," opined another.
Aryna Sabalenka now boasts a 16-5 win-loss record at Wimbledon, having reached the semifinals in both 2021 and 2023 as well.
Aryna Sabalenka almost lost hopes of winning against Laura Siegemund at Wimbledon
After a formidable display by Laura Siegemund to clinch the first set, Aryna Sabalenka said that she thought there was no chance of her coming back into the match. During the on-court interview, she said:
"She pushed me so much. After the first set, I was just looking at my box thinking, 'Guys, book the tickets - I think we're about to leave this beautiful city, this beautiful country.'"
With this win, she became only the second after Serena Williams since 2000 to qualify for 10 singles Grand Slam semifinals. She will next face Amanda Anisimova in a rematch of duo's fourth-round encounter at the French Open a month ago.
