Sabalenka’s Struggles Proceed as Clara Tauson Stuns in Dubai
Aryna Sabalenka’s rocky begin to 2025 continues as she suffered a shocking defeat to Denmark’s Clara Tauson within the second spherical of the 2025 Dubai Championships. Sabalenka, who started the season with a powerful 11-match profitable streak, hasn’t been in a position to bounce again from a heartbreaking loss within the Australian Open closing to Madison Keys. That defeat, which noticed Sabalenka smash her racket in frustration, appears to have lingered in her recreation, as she’s struggled to search out her greatest kind since.
After a disappointing first-round exit on the Qatar Open to Ekaterina Alexandrova, Sabalenka seemed to regain some momentum in Dubai, the place she managed a win towards Veronika Kudermetova. Nevertheless, she was no match for the in-form Tauson, who dominated from begin to end.
The match started with Tauson asserting herself early on, breaking Sabalenka’s serve within the fifth recreation to take a 3-2 lead. Regardless of a quick restoration from the world primary when she broke again, Tauson continued to overpower Sabalenka, profitable the primary set 6-3. Sabalenka, who has struggled along with her serve all through the match, was damaged once more within the second set, and Tauson didn’t permit her to regain any footing.
Although Sabalenka took an early break within the second set, it was short-lived, as Tauson instantly broke again and maintained management. With one other break within the fifth recreation, Tauson surged to a 4-1 lead and completed off the match 6-3, 6-2, securing her place within the quarter-finals of the WTA 1000 occasion.
Tauson, who had a marathon match simply 24 hours earlier, talked about her unimaginable run. After her exhausting win over Elina Svitolina in a match that stretched practically three hours and was delayed by rain, Tauson admitted she was uncertain of how she’d carry out given the dearth of relaxation. However she defied expectations, exhibiting outstanding resilience and willpower.
“It’s been a loopy 24 hours for me. I solely obtained about 5 hours of sleep final night time, so I wasn’t certain what form I’d be in immediately,” Tauson stated after her win. “However I felt actually good on the market. It was an awesome efficiency.”
Along with her victory, Tauson now turns her consideration to her quarter-final match towards Linda Noskova, whereas Sabalenka, having suffered two early exits in Doha and Dubai, might want to regroup and refocus for the Sunshine Double—a time period for the celebrated Indian Wells and Miami tournaments.
