Belarusian tennis star Aryna Sabalenka, the world’s No. 1 women’s player, struggles with her recent form.
On Wednesday, Sabalenka lost in the third round at the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) Duty Free Tennis Championships in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE). She was defeated 0-2 (3-6, 2-6) by Denmark’s Clara Tauson, ranked 38th in the world.
Sabalenka finished as the runner-up at the Australian Open, a Grand Slam event held in January. However, she was eliminated in the second round of the Qatar TotalEnergies Open on February 11, and her campaign in Dubai ended in the third round. Notably, she advanced to the second round in Qatar and the first round in Dubai via a walkover. Her record in the last four matches stands at one win and three losses.
The Dubai tournament has been filled with upsets. World No. 3 Coco Gauff (USA) was knocked out in the second round, while No. 4 Jasmine Paolini (Italy) and No. 5 Jessica Pegula (USA) were eliminated in the third round, just like Sabalenka. Among the top five seeds, only world No. 2 Iga Świątek (Poland) has reached the quarterfinals. Świątek will face world No. 14 Mirra Andreeva (Russia) for a semifinal spot.