Aryna Sabalenka surprised by Chinese fans in Wuhan during her first round win, ‘I did not expect that’

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Aryna Sabalenka is back with a bang at the Wuhan Open coming back from a set behind to beat Rebecca Sramkova.

The Belarusian hasn’t been seen on a tennis court in a competitive match since beating Amanda Anisimova to win the US Open.

Sabalenka will be looking to win the tournament in Wuhan for the fourth successive time after first winning the competition in 2018.

Sabalenka took time off following the US Open and the challenge now is to quickly get back up to speed and reach top form ahead of the WTA Finals next month.

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What surprised Aryna Sabalenka about her Wuhan Open win

Despite having a solid relationship with fans at the Wuhan Open, it would appear that Sabalenka was shocked by the reception she received at this year’s tournament.

Sabalenka came through in three sets after losing the first one, and it was a win that she will take a lot of heart from heading into the next round.

After the match, she was quizzed on the court about her performance, and she had some praise for her opponent for how she played in the first set.

She said: “Honestly, I did not expect that much support in the first round, and it felt really incredible playing in front of you. Thank you guys for coming!

“She played incredible tennis, especially in the first set. There was not much I could do against her.

“But I knew after that little break [after the US Open] it would not be easy to get back into the rhythm, but I’m really glad in the second set I found my game, and I stepped in and I think I played really great.”

Aryna Sabalenka stats vs Rebecca Sramkova

For one set, it looked as though Sabalenka was a little bit rusty, although that would be harsh on Sramkova who played very well.

Sabalenka can now look forward to her next match at the tournament and the longer she stays in, the stronger she will get.

It’s all about game time for Sabalenka right now and there will be certain flaws for her to iron out ahead of her next match in Wuhan.

When the world number one arrives in the tournament, the interest always rises and now, it will be fascinating to see if she can claim another title this week.