Aryna Sabalenka defeats Kamilla Rakhimova in third round of US Open
World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka defeated Kamilla Rakhimova 6:3, 6:4 in the third round of the US Open tennis championship. The two-time defending tournament champion earned her 16th consecutive victory at the US Open.
Advantage in the first set
The match took place on September 4 at Flushing Meadows in New York. Sabalenka broke early in the match, took control of the game and won the first set 6:3.
In the opening set, the Belarusian hit four aces and lost only four points on her first serve. The game was briefly distracted by a strong smell of cannabis that could be detected on the court at Louis Armstrong Stadium. Sabalenka drew the attention of umpire Eva Asderaki-Moore to it.
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Decisive break
In the second set, Rakhimova put up more resistance and saved four break points on her serve. However, Sabalenka secured the decisive break after a powerful return and finished the match in two sets.
Sabalenka's next opponent was to be American Taylor Townsend or Diana Shnaider. The Belarusian is aiming for her third consecutive US Open title: Serena Williams was the last player to win three consecutive titles at the tournament, in 2012–2014.
According to Channel NewsAsia, citing Reuters.
