Aryna Sabalenka celebrates thinking she won but the match wasn't over!

The Belarusian forgets the rules and lets herself go at 7-3 in the tie-break, but it was necessary to reach 10

SEPTEMBER 8, 2023 11:45

Aryna Sabalenka celebrates thinking she won but the match wasn't over! *© Clive Brunskill / Staff Getty Images Sport*

Aryna Sabalenka reached her first US Open final, her second Grand Slam final, following her win at the Australian Open earlier in the season. The Belarusian champion will be the new world number one from Monday, thus breaking Iga Swiatek's dominance which lasted 78 consecutive weeks.

Furthermore, the 25-year-old is proving that she is worthy of her place at the top of the rankings in the 2023 edition of the US Open. Sabalenka has in fact reached, as we said above, the final of the tournament and on Saturday she will play her chances of winning the prestigious title against the young Coco Gauff.

And it would be the second Grand Slam trophy he would put in his trophy case, after the Australian Open at the beginning of the season. About her final with Gauff, she said: "The final with Gauff? She's playing incredibly, last time we faced each other in Indian Wells but now she's improved a lot and she's a different player.

This is why I don't spend too much time watching that match, I think about myself and preparing for this great challenge. I want to do my best, this is my priority and I will only take to the pitch for that."

Aryna Sabalenka celebrates thinking she won but the match wasn't over!

However, the Minsk native showed off another funny episode during the semifinal against the American Madison Keys, who gave up despite at a certain point in the match being ahead 6-0, 5-3 with the possibility of serving for the match.

In the crucial tie-break of the third set, Sabalenka incredibly celebrated thinking she had won, when in fact it wasn't yet true. It happened at the end of the rally at 7-3, with the player dropping her racket and putting her hands in front of her face to start celebrating the important goal achieved in the competition.

A look at her corner immediately alerted her to the gaffe: being a decisive set, it was necessary to reach 10. Annoyed, Aryna immediately regained her concentration and shortly after she was able to enjoy the success, which this time she had achieved definitively.

Here is the video of what happened on Arthur Ashe Stadium.