In the opening set of Aryna Sabalenka’s quarter-final with Donna Vekic at the Australian Open, she was struggling. Sabalenka tried to hold off her challenger, but every service game was a desperate battle. She faced 10 break points in four consecutive games, and could have cracked.
Yet every time Sabalenka was pressured she remained calm as she stepped up to the baseline and produced an enormous serve or explosive forehand. Sabalenka survived the set, and never looked back.
