Connect with us

Sports

SHOCKER! Top-seed Aryna Sabalenka Crashes Out in Eastbourne After Losing to Qualifier Ahead of Wimbledon Championships 2021

Italian qualifier Camila Giorgi took down women’s World No.4 Aryna Sabalenka on Thursday to storm into the semifinals of the Eastbourne International grass-court tournament.

Fighting fire with fire, the Italian took Sabalenka to a tie-break in the opening set before edging out the Belarussian to win it 7-5.

The 23-year-old Belarussian came roaring back into the contest, bageling Giorgi to win the second set.

However, the Italian had the last laugh as she secured a decisive break of serve in the final set and held on to her lead to close out the contest in two hours and eighteen minutes.

The Italian was down a break in both the first and third sets but showed exemplary grit and fight to break back and eventually come out a winner.

Aryna Sabalenka hit more winners, Camila Giorgi less unforced errors,

The win took Giorgi to her first semi-final since WTA Palermo 2020. It will also be her first last four appearance at a WTA 500 event since Tokyo in 2018.

While Giorgi hit 23 winners to Sabalenka’s 29, the Italian fared way better when it came to counting back their unforced errors.

The Italian had 34 unforced errors to her name, while the Belarussian tallied 43.

However, for the large part of the match, the match was on balance with neither player seeming to hold an edge over the other.

Aryna Sabalenka
Tennis – ATP Masters 1000 – Madrid Open – Caja Magica, Madrid, Spain – May 6, 2021 Belarus’ Aryna Sabalenka celebrates winning her semi final match against Russia’s Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova REUTERS/Sergio Perez

Sabalenka squandered a 4-2 lead in the opening set

Sabalenka raced to a 4-2 lead in the opening set before the Italian fought back into the contest and restored parity to the scoreline. The set was eventually decided by way of a tiebreak.

The Italian will next face Estonian Anette Konteveit in the semi-final, who was on the brink of elimination against qualifier Viktorija Golubic before storming to progress to the last four.

Watch This Link: Australian Open: Rafael Nadal, Nick Kyrgios, Ash Barty and Other Tennis Players’ Altercations with Fans Over the Years

The Estonian saved a match point to turn the tables on her opponent in the end.

Read More: “Very Powerful Tennis”: Simona Halep Praises Confident Aryna Sabalenka on Her Madrid Open 2021 Glory

A runner-up in 2018, Sabalenka’s exit at Eastbourne will raise some concerns for her form on grass ahead of Wimbledon.

 

The post SHOCKER! Top-seed Aryna Sabalenka Crashes Out in Eastbourne After Losing to Qualifier Ahead of Wimbledon Championships 2021 appeared first on EssentiallySports.