ARYNA SABALENKA breezed into the second week of Wimbledon after winning a scrap that could never have happened 12 months ago.
The controversial ban on Belarusians and Russians competing at the 2022 event would have made this third-round meeting between Sabalenka and Anna Blinkova an absolute non-starter.
No such problems yesterday, though, as the Court One crowd watched second seed Sabalenka, from Belarus capital Minsk, dispatch her Moscow rival in straight sets.
And after her 6-2 6-3 victory in 1hr 21mins, smiling Sabalenka paid tribute to the fans for providing such a warm reception.
The reigning Australian champion beamed: "I am super happy I was able to win it and thanks for all the support and the atmosphere out there.
"The fans make this very special." And she then went on to describe why she loves this Grand Slam more than any other.
Denne historien er fra July 09, 2023-utgaven av Irish Sunday Mirror.
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Denne historien er fra July 09, 2023-utgaven av Irish Sunday Mirror.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
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