Aryna Sabalenka thanked the fans for their ‘incredible’ support as she produced another stellar comeback.
As well as her ferocious power game and consistency, the Belarusian is just as well known for her resiliency, which was on show at the Italian Open.
Under the lights on centre court at the Foro Italico, the 25-year-old found herself a set down against former double Italian Open champion Elina Svitolina in round four.
But more often than not, in the face of adversity Sabalenka produces her best tennis and she did just that by saving three match points before claiming victory in the final set tiebreak.
The World Number Two has stated that the Italian Open is a tournament she would love to win and with the crowd cheering her on, her hopes of doing so are still alive.
Aryna Sabalenka states what found ‘incredible’ at Italian Open
Sabalenka thrives on crowd support, and the passionate Italian audience roared with delight as she triumphed in a match that finished after midnight in Rome.
A grin was etched across the Australian Open champion’s face as she received a standing ovation from the crowd who stayed late to see the result of a thrilling encounter.
During her on court interview, Sabalenka thanked the spectators for their unwavering support after reaching her second Italian Open quarter-final.
“I just want to say, Roma, you’re in my heart forever. This kind of support was incredible. It was a great battle. Somehow I managed my body and was able to win this match,” she said.
“I’m super happy with this win. Hopefully I can recover for the next match. Hopefully I’ll be ready to play another match here in Rome.”
Aryna Sabalenka has a hard-hitting opponent in the quarter-finals
Though she levelled the contest after falling a set behind, Sabalenka was a break down early in the deciding frame.
In a roller coaster of a third set, Sabalenka, who battled lower back and hip discomfort, came back from 2-0 down to serve for the match at 5-4, but was broken to love by Svitolina.
In the blink of an eye, Sabalenka was serving to stay in the contest and saved two match points before fending off another in the tiebreak, and she eventually claimed the breaker by nine points to seven.
Things do not get any easier for Sabalenka, as she will face former French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko in the quarter-finals.
The Latvian faced some adversity of her own before defeating Slovakia’s Rebecca Šramková in four four. This is expected to be a hard-hitting and gladiatorial affair with a spot in the Italian Open semi-finals on the line.
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