Aryna Sabalenka, the world No. 3 and two-time Grand Slam champion, had an amusing response to Daria Kasatkina’s stunned reaction and expletive when asked about facing the Belarusian tennis star. Sabalenka hilariously admitted she sometimes feels the same way about playing against the Russian.

On Thursday, Sabalenka defeated Kasatkina 6-1, 6-4 in the Berlin round-of-16. Sabalenka, the second seed, had a first-round bye, while Kasatkina secured a three-set victory over Marta Kostyuk. After her first-round win, Kasatkina’s face changed dramatically when asked about playing Sabalenka next, and she dropped an expletive, creating a viral moment.

Sabalenka entered the match with a 6-2 head-to-head advantage over Kasatkina and was on a three-match winning streak against her. When asked about Kasatkina’s viral moment, Sabalenka also created a viral moment with her response.

“Yeah I saw that and I don’t know what to say about that. But definitely it’s not like… I don’t know, should I say something about that? I just came here today, trying to bring my tennis, trying to make sure you guys enjoy watching me play. Thank you so much for the incredible atmosphere, it was really enjoyable playing in front of you,” Sabalenka said.

“And about that comment from Dasha, I’ll take it as respect. Sometimes when I see her as my next opponent I also think something similar to the word she used. I’m trying to not swear a lot (bursts into laughter). But I would sometimes the same word.”

Sabalenka’s light-hearted and candid response highlights the mutual respect and competitive spirit between the two players, making for a memorable and entertaining exchange.

Sabalenka in Berlin, ranking, and results in 2024

Now ranked no.3, Sabalenka owns a compiled 30-8 record in 2024. Aryna is now playing in Berlin where she managed to beat the world no.14 Daria Kasatkina 6-1 6-4.

Aryna Sabalenka will face the world no.24 Anna Kalinskaya in the quarter on Friday at 5:00 pm on Steffi Graf Stadion. Their record is 3-1 for Sabalenka.

Sabalenka has won 1 title in 2024 at the Australian Open. Aryna was the finalist in Brisbane (Brisbane International), in Madrid (Mutua Madrid Open) and in Rome (Internazionali BNL d’Italia).

The Belarussian won 14 titles in her career: 10 on hard courts, 2 on clay courts and 2 on indoor courts. (See the list of her titles)

Aryna Sabalenka

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