Aryna Sabalenka greets US Open super fan and opens up on ‘amazing’ Paula Badosa bond
Aryna Sabalenka was involved in one of the cutest moments of the US Open so far as she greeted a young super fan after her latest win at Flushing Meadows.
Sabalenka set up a third round meeting with No 29 seed Ekaterina Alexandrova after she cemented her status as one of the big favourites to win the US Open with a crushing 6-3, 6-1 win Lucia Bronzetti.
There was a nice moment after the match as she met with a young fan dressed like her, including a replica tiger tattoo after the match.
“It was a really adorable moment. I just looked up, and I saw on the big screen a mini-me. It was so cute,” said Sabalenka.
“It’s such a motivation to keep going to inspire the young generation. That’s the main goal.”
“It definitely means a lot. This is something that keeps me going. To see this young generation inspired by me.. this is what it’s all about. This is such an inspiration for me. Thank you so much. You’re so cute. I hope you’re gonna be at this level soon.”
Meanwhile, Sabalenka has opened up on her friendship with Paula Badosa, who joined her in the third round of the US Open after a fine 6-3, 7-5 win against America’s Taylor Townsend on Louis Armstrong Stadium court.
Sabalenka and Badosa have developed a friendship that has flourished in recent years and regularly post images of their time together on their social media channels.
The Belarusian star was asked about her friendship with Badosa in her post-match press conference and was delighted to give a full response.
“It’s just an amazing thing, you know, to find someone so similar to you and having the same kind of mindset, same thoughts on different topics and just be able to talk to someone and to have fun with someone,” she said.
“Just to have a friend, that’s really awesome. Especially when you’re opponents on court and to be able to manage this stuff, that’s really important. How I would describe? Just an amazing thing, you know. So much fun.”
“I’m super happy to see her back playng so well. When she was struggling, I saw her matches, how tough it was for her and how much she struggled.
“I tried to kind of help her, like talking about stuff. I was just telling her, if you have any questions, whatever you need, just ask, just talk. I’m here to help you, whatever you need.
“Seeing her right now, I would say she’s back on her top level. That’s really amazing, and I’m really happy for her, and she deserves it, you know. She’s a fighter. She’s hard-working girl. She’s an amazing person. I mean, she deserves it all.
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Meanwhile, heat exhaustion ruined Iva Jokic’s teenage dream of a third-round meeting with Aryna Sabalenka at the US Open.
American Jokic, who is 16 and the youngest player in the main draw, was a set up against Alexandrova as she threatened to continue her impressive US Open form.
Yet in sweltering conditions, where the mercury was nearly 40C, the heat got the better of her midway through the second set.
She needed medical treatment and had her blood pressure and pulse checked.
Jokic, a semi-finalist in the Wimbledon juniors last month, rejoined the match but Alexandrova took the second set.
To her credit, Jokic came back to life and was agonisingly close to another famous victory in a topsy-turvy final-set decider.
She staved off six match points as a tiebreak was on the cards before the Russian eventually claimed a 4-6, 6-4, 7-5 victory.
