Aryna Sabalenka Credits Lessons She Learned from French Open Defeat After Surviving Scare at Wimbledon  

Aryna Sabalenka booked a spot in the Wimbledon semifinal for the third time in her career. But to do that, she had to toil hard for nearly three hours against Laura Siegemund in the quarterfinals on Tuesday (July 8).

The German ace took the first set off the World No.1, who for the first time in the ongoing edition of the tournament, dropped a set. But the Belarusian kept her calm and remained focused throughout the match to secure the win with a 4-6, 6-2, 6-4 scoreline.

Sabalenka improved her head-to-head record over the unseeded player to 3-0. Following the win, Sabalenka claimed the lessons she learned after her heartbreaking defeat to Coco Gauff in the French Open final helped her make such comeback. Sabalenka said at the press conference:

I think it’s very possible that I would have lost this match if I hadn’t learned the lesson in the French Open. At some moments, I kept reminding myself, probably a bit crazy, that we are in the Wimbledon quarterfinals, that we can’t give up, that we can’t let emotions take over and lose another match. I reminded myself that it’s my dream, why would I give up so easily, so I have to keep fighting.

Sabalenka is aiming to reach her eighth final of the season at Wimbledon and win her fourth title, following her victories in Brisbane, Miami, and Madrid. Before this Major, Sabalenka had reached the finals of both the Australian Open and the French Open but ended up losing both to Madison Keys and Gauff, respectively.

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Aryna Sabalenka has now progressed to the semifinals in 10 of her last 11 Grand Slam events. The only time she couldn’t secure a berth was at the 2024 French Open, where Mirra Andreeva knocked her out in the quarterfinals.