World No. 1 Aryna credits improved mental toughness for ability to overcome first-set wobble against Sloane Stephens; Belarusian begins her bid for an Australian Open hat-trick with 6-3, 6-2 Round One win
Aryna Sabalenka celebrates a point against USA’s Sloane Stephens yesterday. Pic/AFP
A battling Aryna Sabalenka credited new a “mental toughness” on Sunday for helping her survive an Australian Open first-set wobble that a few years ago might have cost her the match.
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The two-time defending champion beat Sloane Stephens 6-3, 6-2 in the first round to begin her bid for a historic hat-trick at Melbourne Park. But the Belarusian did not have it all her own way against the 2017 US Open champion on Rod Laver Arena.
She raced into a 4-0 lead before a series of unforced errors allowed the 31-year-old American to break back twice for 4-3. “I stepped back, and I gave her a chance to come back in the match,” said Sabalenka.
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‘Glad I stepped in’
The lapses fired up Sabalenka, who changed her racquet and became more aggressive. “I’m glad that in that game on 4-3 I stepped in and I was going forward to the net. I think that was the key to get back to this match.”
She created a succession of break points before finally converting on the fifth to move 5-3 ahead and then served out to take the set in 38 minutes. “If I compare myself to even like three years ago, in that moment I would get frustrated and probably would lose the first set. I’m not sure if I would be able to win the match,” she admitted.
“I’m really glad that I improved my mental toughness. I’m able to stay focused no matter what the score, what the situation is.” Stephens, now ranked 84th, has a poor record in Melbourne, losing in the first round on four of her previous five appearances. A double break took Sabalenka to 5-1 in the second set and she completed the win in 1hr 11min.
Olympic champ Zheng wins
Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen, the fifth seed and last year’s losing finalist, had the honour of playing the first point on centre court against Romania’s 110th-ranked Anca Todoni. She came through 7-6 (7/3), 6-1, but was rusty after opting not to play a warm-up event.
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