'I was fighting today like a tiger,' Aryna Sabalenka connects to her spirit animal as she flings Peyton Stearns out of the 2024 Indian Wells

Stearns made a brief comeback as she leveled scores in the tiebreak on the back of a forced error from the Belarusian ace and a couple of winners. Sabalenka, however, managed to prevail as the World No. 2 benefitted from the two back-to-back errors from the American.

Stearns could not clear the net on one instance and could not keep her return inside on the second instance. With a two-point lead 8-6, Sabalenka won the tiebreak and the match. She then let out a huge roar.

Aryna Sabalenka jokes about connecting to her spirit animal

After the match was done and dusted, Aryna Sabalenka was back to being funny. The 25-year-old Belarusian known for her witty remarks joked about connecting to her spirit animal during the match. Sabalenka claimed that she was fighting like a tiger on the court.

As the Belarusian fought back from being a set down and won the match, Sabalenka was overjoyed. She also credited Peyton Stearns for her “crazy tennis”. The World No. 2 said that she felt lucky to be standing on the winning side.

Wow, I think I was right when I see this tattoo of a tiger and I was fighting today like a tiger. It’s just crazy what happened. She’s an unbelievable player. She played crazy tennis. She said at the net, ‘I had you,’ so she’s right. I was probably a little bit lucky to get this win. Super happy to get through this. Aryna Sabalenka said in her on-court interview. (H/T: Indian Wells)

Sabalenka will next face Emma Raducanu in the third round of the 2024 Indian Wells. The Briton reached the third round after Dayana Yastremska pulled out of the tournament with an injury. Sabalenka and Raducni will be playing against each other for the first time on the tour. It is expected to be an interesting match.