Power is the hallmark of the world No.1’s game but variety proves key in the fourth round
©Corinne Dubreuil / FFTAryna Sabalenka (1) bt Amanda Anisimova 7-5, 6-3.
A concerted push to add variety to her already imposing power is paying dividends for Aryna Sabalenka this Roland-Garros.
The world No.1 passed her first serious test of her eighth campaign when she withstood a blustery Amanda Anisimova to reach her third straight Paris quarter-final on Sunday.
Former teenage star Anisimova had thrived on the clay in the City of Lights before. She stunned reigning champion Simona Halep and held a set and a break lead on Ash Barty as a 17-year-old in the 2019 semi-finals only to succumb.
It remains her standout result at a major.
Following a sabbatical from the sport, the now 23-year-old climbed back inside the top 20 and had caused her opponent more than her share of headaches in the past – she owned five wins from their seven previous showdowns, including in the second round of her breakout 2019 run.
While often able to match the world No.1’s power off the ground, she didn’t possess the same variety or foot speed as the modern-day Sabalenka and it was soon exposed as the top seed opened up a 4-1 lead.
©Corinne Dubreuil / FFTAnisimova kept herself in the fight. When pulled wide she clubbed a backhand winner down the line to hold for 3-5 and it triggered a burst of aggression as she reeled in her opponent to level at 5-all.
Where the Sabalenka of old may have struggled to keep her frustrations in check, she found her grit and her serve was clutch – three aces in one game alone – as she stemmed the flow on her way to the set after 50 minutes.
There were stretches where the American comfortably stood toe-to-toe in heavy baseline exchanges, but Sabalenka, so often revered for her raw power, opted for a clever mix of drop shots, slices and a chipped pass down the line for an early break in the second.
Her 10th ace increased the gap to 5-2 and despite one last dig from the 16th seed, who saved six match points on serve in an 11-minute game, it was not enough to stop the world’s best in her tracks. Eighth seed Zheng Qinwen, her Rome tormentor, is next.
Sabalenka’s straight-sets result on Court Suzanne-Lenglen made her the first to reach 10 successive Grand Slam quarter-finals since Serena Williams between the 2014 US Open and 2017 Australian Open.
Her 11 aces were the most she had clocked in a tour-level match since her 13 against Kamilla Rakhimova at Washington last year.
While the pair were relatively evenly matched in winners – Sabalenka had 29 to Anisimova’s 24 – her forehand was particularly damaging – 20 to her opponent’s 12.
Her 19 unforced errors were three fewer than the American’s.
©Corinne Dubreuil / FFTYet to drop a set through the first four rounds, it continued an impressive start to the tournament. While Anisimova served and returned well and had the power to match, Sabalenka was better at each.
“She's a great player, she's a tough one, we had a lot of really tough battles in the past,” she said. “Honestly, I was just so focused today. I was just trying to put so much pressure back on her as I could.
“I tried to change some rhythm, make sure she's not hitting at one rhythm all the time and I'm super happy with the win. It was a tough one, she challenged me a lot.”
After food-poisoning derailed her quarter-final against Mirra Andreeva last year, Sabalenka was careful to watch what she ate ahead of her return to the last eight.
“I definitely learned a lesson and I'll do my best, make sure that I'm healthy and fit in that quarter-final match,” she said. “I'm super hungry for this tournament. I love this place, I want to stay to the very last day.”
ROLAND-GARROS
19 May - 8 June 2025
