Aryna Sabalenka earned the biggest win of her young career at the Nature Valley International when she beat defending champion Karolina Pliskova 6-3 2-6 7-6(5).
The Belarussian, 20, had only beaten one Top 20 player before this week but she has now beaten Pliskova, Goerges and Mertens, who are ranked 7, 13 and 15 respectively.
It is a remarkable breakthrough performance, and Sabalenka does not know how she has managed it.
“It was always three sets, and I didn’t expect to beat three players like that in a row,” she said. “So it’s a good week for me. It’s given me a lot of belief in myself and now I’m really happy.”
The Belarussian made a fantastic start to her match against Pliskova. She unleashed a series of big groundstrokes to break in the second game.
Although she was broken back immediately, Sabalenka was not deterred. She broke the Czech again in the sixth game and went on to take the set 6-3.
Perhaps inevitably, Pliskova fought back in the second set. She broke her younger opponent twice to take it 6-2 and force the match into a decider.
Sabalenka wins thrilling decider
And what a decider it was, as both players gave it everything they had in search of victory. Sabalenka broke first, and then the Czech broke her twice to open up a lead.
The Belarussian then battled back and levelled the score at 4-4. Fittingly, it was decided by a tie-break, and it was Sabalenka who seized the moment to earn a famous win.
“I called my coach when I was down 1-4. He said, ‘If you lose, lose in a good way. Keep fighting. There’s only one break. So just keep going. Try your best and just try to put the ball in, because you are making a lot of mistakes’.”
The Belarussian is looking forward to facing Agnieszka Radwanska in the semi-final. “I’ve never played against her, and her game is really, really tough because she’s a good runner.”
“She is a touch player and she reads the game. So it will be a tough match. Even after injury, she’s made the semi-finals, so that means she’s in good shape.”
