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.
Bu hikaye The Sunday Mirror dergisinin July 09, 2023 sayısından alınmıştır.
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Bu hikaye The Sunday Mirror dergisinin July 09, 2023 sayısından alınmıştır.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Giriş Yap
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