Sabalenka v Teichmann: Things we learned

Here are a few things we learned from the pair’s second career meeting. 

Sabalenka, unbothered

The world No.1 could have easily been frustrated after falling behind Teichmann by a break in the first set (3-1), especially given how cleverly the Swiss southpaw was playing. But Sabalenka showed little frustration and plenty of self-belief as she turned things around. She simply bided her time, stuck to her plan and used her breathtaking power game to take control.

All these years of dealing with stress at the majors has allowed the three-time Grand Slam champion to build up a tolerance for it. It takes a lot to get her doubting herself, and that didn’t happen today.

Rather than panic, Sabalenka let the purity of her shots — the world No.1 cracked 34  winners against 22 unforced errors on the day — take over.

Teichmann still has game

The former world No.21 was outside the top 200 this time last year due to a nagging back injury. But she is working her way back into form, is inside the top 100 again and playing some vintage tennis. In the early moments of Wednesday’s tussle she put her stellar clay game on display with slick volleys at the net and clever tactics that threw Sabalenka temporarily off-balance. 

It wasn’t enough to take a set, but it does portend a potential push up the rankings in the months to come for the 97th-ranked 27-year-old.

Aryna’s power. Aryna’s finesse!

There’s nobody in women’s tennis better at producing jaw-dropping tennis from the baseline than the world No.1. Sabalenka delivers relentless power and precision in equal portions, launching line-kissing shots off both wings with alarming regularity. 

That was the case today as she reeled off nine consecutive games at one point to remove doubt from the equation, but an evolving wrinkle is the key that might allow her to finally unlock all of her potential on the Parisian clay: her touch game. 

The 27-year-old has placed increasing emphasis on playing with variety in recent years and the hard work is paying off. It’s obvious that Sabalenka is developing a feel for when to employ drop shots and slice, and she now recognises the right time to strike: when her power has forced her opponent to retreat way behind her baseline.

She hit fourteen drop shots against Teichmann, with seven of them landing for clean winners.

You have to be a complete player to win Roland-Garros, Sabalenka is becoming just that.

One step closer

Two down, five to go. Sabalenka has made no secret about the fact that anything short of winning the title this year in Paris will not suffice.

Since the start of 2023, Sabalenka has registered 49 wins at the Grand Slams, ten more than Iga Swiatek, the next best player in that category on the WTA Tour. 

But Sabalenka has yet to surpass the Polish juggernaut in Paris, where Swiatek has taken the last three titles and Sabalenka has yet to reach the final.

Will she get there this year? Time will tell.

Sabalenka, who is slated to face Swiatek in the semi-finals this year in Paris, will meet Serbia's Olga Danilovic, in the third round.