World No. 76 Anna Blinkova of Russia commented on her second-round defeat (3-6, 4-6) to World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus at the WTA 1000 tournament in Madrid, Spain.
Asked about her challenging start to the match, falling behind 0-5, and whether she felt she had chances to fight back and change the course of the match, Blinkova responded that there were indeed chances and she was happy with the match and the battle they had.
“I didn`t start very aggressively, let`s say, I started at a speed of about 7 out of 10, and she was just `killing` me, and that wasn`t enough,” Blinkova explained. “As soon as I hit shorter, weaker shots, she immediately stepped into the court and finished the point. So, not necessarily at 0-5, but a bit earlier, I started stepping into the court myself and playing much more aggressively – probably at 9 out of 10 or 10 out of 10. I understood that if I didn`t attack myself, I had no chance of winning.”
She added that there were many close games and numerous break points for her. “When I had chances, Aryna played unbelievably well: she hit winners, she served well, she hit winners from the return. So, I had chances, but that`s why she is so strong – she doesn`t lose those games. She, let`s say, mobilizes herself in the most crucial moments.”
In the third round of the Madrid tournament, Sabalenka will face Elise Mertens of Belgium.
