Aryna Sabalenka plays like a man trying to imitate Serena Williams, claims former French Davis Cup captain

Jean Paul Loth makes intriguing comments about Sabalenka's game.

Aryna Sabalenka plays like a man trying to imitate Serena Williams, claims former French Davis Cup captain

Aryna Sabalenka, Jean Paul Loth and Serena Williams (Credits :Getty Images and Eurosport)

2nd seed Aryna Sabalenka got a statement win in the third round of the US Open 2023 as she took her 2023 Grand Slam record to 20-2. The Belarusian def. the world no.61 Clara Burel 6-1,6-1 to book a spot in the second week of the US Open. Sabalenka earned a whopping 10 break points converting 5 of them.

Former French Davis Cup team captain and Eurosport consultant Jean Paul Loth had some interesting comments to make about the Belarusian’s style of play. “Women’s tennis has been criticized in a very disorderly way for years because when you see Sabalenka play, she plays like a man. She serves powerfully, she hits powerfully from the back of the court, she enters the field,” Loth said in an apparent backhanded compliment for the 25-year-old.

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“And when you don’t have the power and physical qualities of this young woman, you can’t play exactly like the men, because you miss a lot of balls. And since everyone wanted to try hard to imitate Serena Williams, it doesn’t work that easily, you have to have the physical qualities,” the former pro said previewing her game against the Frenchwoman Clara Burel.

The Belarusian pro is playing for her second Grand Slam title and the No.1 spot. Sabalenka has to equal or better Iga Swiatek‘s performance at the US Open to clinch the No.1 spot. Sabalenka, a US Open semi-finalist in 2021 and 2022, has started the 2023 edition in a convincing fashion. The no.2 seed won her first and second-round match in straight sets with the same score-line.

The Australian Open champion leads the WTA players in hitting winners with 645 winners to her name. 21 of them came in her third-round win.

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Aryna Sabalenka to face Daria Kasatkina in the fourth round

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Aryna Sabalenka (Credits : Getty Images)

The third-round win puts Sabalenka into the second week of a Grand Slam for the 10th time and for the fourth time in six appearances at the US Open.

Next up Sabalenka is scheduled to play the Russian Daria Kasatkina, who advanced past Greet Minnen in straight sets. The 13th seed def. qualifier Greet Minnen 6-3, 6-4 in 1 hour and 28 minutes to reach the fourth round in Flushing Meadows for the first time since 2017.

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The pair have faced each other 6 times with Sabalenka boasting an impressive record of 4-2 over the Russian. The pair faced last time in the third round of Cincinnati Masters, Sabalenka def. Kasatkina in straight sets (6-3,6-3). On hard courts, the pair are all square at two wins apiece.

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