"It was a tough lesson for me four years ago," admits Sabalenka after avenging her loss to Fernandez at the US Open

Aryna Sabalenka will be competing in the second week of the US Open. The world number one defeated Rebeka Masarova, Polina Kudermetova, and Leylah Fernandez (6-3, 7-6) last night. The Canadian had beaten Sabalenka in the semifinals of the 2021 US Open, and the two women had not faced each other on the tour since.

The Belarusian has now taken her revenge and will next face Cristina Bucsa in an attempt to reach the quarterfinals for the fifth consecutive year at Flushing Meadows. The 27-year-old player spoke after this victory, first about her opponent's level and then about her confidence in tie-breaks.

"It was a tough lesson for me four years ago at that time. Since then, we hadn’t faced each other. I just wanted to show myself that I had learned from my mistakes and that since that match, I’ve improved as a player.

I won the match, and that was very important, because Leylah (Fernandez) played really great tennis. It was a tough match, and I handled it well overall, even though she’s a formidable opponent. I know she works hard and is improving.

Today, she played at a very high level. I think the match came down to a few points in both sets. She moves very well on the court and plays with confidence.

Mentally, I’m quite strong and I keep growing, because I’m learning a lot of lessons that make me stronger and stronger. In tie-breaks, I just try to focus on myself and trust my game.

You have to stay aggressive and find the shots that feel like the best solution at that moment in the match. Sometimes during the match, I doubt my choices, but when the tie-break comes, I know there isn’t much time to doubt.

When you play tie-breaks, you have to have a good feel and know what to do on the court. I try to stick to my game plan and put as much pressure as possible on my opponents," Sabalenka told Punto de Break.