Aryna Sabalenka cockily blames ‘really fast conditions’ in Dubai for her shocking loss to Donna Vekic

The Belarusian said that the conditions in Dubai don't suit her.

Aryna Sabalenka cockily blames ‘really fast conditions’ in Dubai for her shocking loss to Donna Vekic

Aryna Sabalenka disappointed after a defeat (Image via Imago)

Belarusian tennis ace Aryna Sabalenka suffered a shocking second-round exit at the Dubai Tennis Championships as the reigning Australian Open champion lost to Croatia’s Donna Vekic. Sabalenka lost in three sets of 6-7 (5), 6-3, 6-0 to the Croatian. This was a shocking defeat considering Sabalenka just won a title on hardcourt.

The Belarusian blew up quite a few chances and also got a bagel which indicates that she was not at her best during this second-round match at the WTA 1000 event. However, Aryna Sabalenka feels the reason for her defeat was the fast conditions in Dubai and had nothing to do with her mental fatigue.

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When the 25-year-old was asked about her loss to Vekic, Sabalenka blamed it on the conditions saying she found them tricky. The two-time Australian Open champion said that her defeat had nothing to do with her not being able to regroup after winning a slam.

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I would not say this is difficult because of the Australian Open win. I had enough time to rest, to recharge, and to start everything over again. It's just, that I feel like the conditions here don't fit me well at all. It's really tricky for me to compete here in Dubai. So, it's just that.
Aryna Sabalenka said.

Aryna Sabalenka loses it to Donna Vekic, yet again!

While this defeat at the Dubai Tennis Championship comes as a shocker for Aryna Sabalenka, the Belarusian is not new when it comes to losing to Donna Vekic. The two players have met eight times on the tour so far and the Croatian has got the best out of the World No.2 Sabalenka on six occasions.

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Arya Sabalenka and Donna Vekic (Image via Imago)

Aryna Sabalenka lost the first three matches between the two players and finally got her first win against the Croatian in 2019. However, Vekic was quick to bounce back and win the next two matches between these two stalwarts.

Although Sabalenka avenged her defeats by beating the Croatian at the 2023 Australian quarterfinal, the Belarusian still trails 2-6. Vekic showed great composure to bounce back from 0-1 and win the match. The Croatian landed 14 aces and rattled through 12 of the last 13 games of the match.

This was the eighth Top 5 win of the Croat’s career, and the first since she upset Elena Rybakina in the 2023 Berlin second round. Vekic will next face Sorana Cirstea while Sabalenka will head home and figure out what went wrong for her.

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