Aryna Sabalenka avenged her Australian Open final loss to Elena Rybakina by defeating the Kazakh in the BNP Paribas Open final at Indian Wells on Sunday. The Belarusian staged an exciting comeback against Rybakina in the final, with weather conditions in California significantly influencing the match.
Between service breaks, either player could be seen battling the rising temperatures under the desert sun, as Rybakina explained her loss to Sabalenka in the post-match interview. “I lost a lot of energy in the second set and gave Aryna confidence,” Rybakina said.
Fans took exception to Rybakina’s excuse for losing the match and called out the reigning Australian Open champion on social media. Many fans projected the same situation over Sabalenka and gave their honest take on what happens when the Belarusian states such excuses for her losses on tour.
“You’re right, they would come for Aryna’s neck. Lol. I said to my friends, “Wow, I’ve never seen her flushed before.” It was hot, and no one gave them enough credit playing in it. Everyone was worried about Sinner and the heat,” one fan commented.
“It would be complete outrage, and everyone would’ve been criticizing us, like Aryna has to tread lightly with everything, otherwise they come for us,” another fan commented.
“I LOVE Lena, but I just know that if Aryna had said the same thing, the streets would be going Wild for her,” yet another fan commented.
Some other fans called Rybakina a sore loser and even suggested that the player start owning up to the losses instead of making excuses for the same.
“Where’s the sore loser police that has something to say when Aryna talks about conditions and her own performance?” one fan commented.
“Conditions were the same for both players !! Part of play is managing the conditions!! You lose you lose!! Own your loss and move on,” another fan commented.
“True, she [Sabalenka] would’ve been accused of being a sore loser that is making excuses,” yet another fan commented.
Aryna Sabalenka Hailed Elena Rybakina as the ‘Kindest One’ After Indian Wells Thriller
After their thrilling Indian Wells final, Sabalenka spoke at length about the Kazakh and how she was one of the nicest and kindest players on tour. The Belarusian also said she cherishes the ongoing rivalry with Rybakina as it drives her to play better and stay competitive in the season.
“Yeah, she’s a nice one. I would say that she’s the kindest one on the Tour. Yeah, we have been playing for so long, so many matches. And honestly, I really enjoy it, even though I lost so many of them and really painful ones,” Sabalenka said.
“But still I enjoy it because it means that the final gonna be a show, it’s gonna be great tennis, great level, and it’s gonna be a fight, which is great for people to watch and also for me to become a better player,” she added.
“So I really enjoy our rivalry. So, yeah, I like her as a person, as a player, and I enjoy these battles. But I really hope that I’m gonna win all of them from now on,” the Belarusian concluded.
Now the top names shift their focus towards the Miami Open, where Sabalenka will aim to carry the positive momentum from the Indian Wells triumph and defend her title in Miami, FL.
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