© Getty Images Sport – Clive Brunskill
Aryna Sabalenka described her Indian Wells thriller win over Peyton Stearns as “really crazy” and shared that she hopes and expects to be fine after badly rolling her ankle in “one of the craziest matches of my career.”
On Saturday night in Indian Wells, No. 2 seed Sabalenka had her back turned against the wall when Stearns had a 5-4 lead and 40-0 on her serve in the 10th game of the third set. But then, Sabalenka came up big as she saved those three consecutive match points, as well as the fourth match point in the same game, before going on to clinch a 6-7 (2) 6-2 7-6 (6) win in just less than three hours of play.
After her first-ever meeting against Stearns, the two-time Grand Slam champion was full of praise for the American’s performance and spoke very highly of the 22-year-old’s game.
“Well, this match was really crazy, and I really think it was a super high-level match. She played incredible tennis. I kept telling myself, ‘Stay there, fight for every point. You never know what’s going to happen.’ Probably this is the match for a crazy comeback, and I did it,” Sabalenka said after her win.
“I’m super happy that I didn’t give up on that score, and I was really pushing myself hard, even though I didn’t play my best…
