Tennis News

Home

Quizzes

Newsletter

Aaron Doster-Imagn Images

Aryna Sabalenka Makes Special Dining Room Request to Cincinnati Open Organizers

Originally posted on FirstSportz | By Gouri Das | Last updated Aug 10, 2025 1:31 PM ET

Aryna Sabalenka has started her title defense. On Saturday (August 9), she knocked out Marketa Vondrousova 7-5, 6-1 to book a spot in the third round of the Cincinnati Masters.

After the win, Sabalenka was asked during the on-court interview about the renovation of the Linder Family Tennis Center, the venue which hosts the Cincinnati Masters. Sabalenka expressed her surprise over the new look while also making a special request to the organizers.

Oh my god, the first moment I came here, I was like, where am I? It’s like a completely different tournament. It’s an impressive job done. And just wow. Everything is so confusing. Little by little, I’m getting used to it.

Sabalenka has made her ninth consecutive appearance in the Cincinnati WTA 1000 event. In 2017, she failed to qualify for the main draw event. By the following season, her run ended in the semifinals. After early round exits in her next three appearances, the Belarusian made it to the semifinals in 2022, 2023, and ended her campaign in 2024 as the champion by beating home favorite Jessica Pegula.

The only request we need to make sure that the dining room is a bit bigger, because it’s so many people and just so little tables. Please, next year, make sure it’s more space in the dining room, everyone likes to eat, everyone likes to spend time there, so please, we need a bigger room. But other than that, like, oh my gosh, it’s even more enjoyable to be here.
Aryna Sabalenka added

Aryna Sabalenka on the changes to the facility in Cincinnati

“My only one request, we need to make sure the dining room is a bit bigger. Next year please make sure there’s more space in the dining room. Everyone likes to eat”

pic.twitter.com/6i7jYdKh9i
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) August 10, 2025

Before Cincinnati, Sabalenka was scheduled to play the Canadian Open, but she withdrew from it. The Cincinnati Masters is her first tournament since her defeat to eventual runner-up Amanda Anisimova in the semifinals of Wimbledon.

Aryna Sabalenka to lock horns with Emma Raducanu next

A third-round match in Cincinnati will be between two Grand Slam winners. Aryna Sabalenka is pitted against Emma Raducanu, who is chasing her first title since her fairytale run at the 2021 US Open.

The World No.1 has faced Raducanu twice, winning both matches. They met in the third round of last year’s Indian Wells and in the third round of this year’s Wimbledon. Prior to scheduling the clash with the three-time Grand Slam singles champion, the 22-year-old knocked out Serbia’s Olga Danilovic.

Sabalenka is aiming to win her fourth title of the season after her wins in Brisbane, Madrid, and Miami. Apart from this, she has also reached the championship clashes of the Australian Open, Indian Wells, Stuttgart Open, and the French Open. In Melbourne and Paris, she lost the finals at the hands of Madison Keys and Coco Gauff, respectively.

Raducanu, before this tournament, had not been seeded in a WTA 1000 event since the 2022 Cincinnati Masters. She currently occupies the 39th spot thanks to her campaign at the Citi Open and the Canadian Open, where she reached the semifinals and third round, respectively.

Raducanu’s best performance in a WTA 1000 event came at this year’s Miami Open, where she reached the quarterfinals only to lose to eventual runner-up Jessica Pegula. Sabalenka, on the other hand, is chasing her 10th WTA 1000 title as well as her third one of the season after Madrid and Miami wins.

If Sabalenka wins the Cincinnati title, she will become the first woman to defend the title since Serena Williams. The 23-time Grand Slam singles champion lifted it in 2014 and defended it the following season.

After Cincinnati, both players will be shifting their focus to the US Open, where Sabalenka will be playing to defend her title. Last year, she beat Pegula in the final.

This article first appeared on FirstSportz and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: