Aryna Sabalenka admitted she had mentally booked her plane home before staging a comeback against rank outsider Laura Siegemund in the Wimbledon quarter-finals. The world No 1 lost the first set and trailed 3-1 in the decider before eventually triumphing 4-6, 6-2, 6-4.
'She pushed me so much,' said the 27-year-old Belarusian. 'After the first set I was looking at my box like, “We need to book the tickets, we’re leaving this beautiful place.”'
The 37-year-old German, ranked 104th, employed a barrage of drop shots and slices that exposed Sabalenka's lack of poise at the net. Siegemund also employed gamesmanship, delaying before Sabalenka's serve and taking a seven-minute loo break after the second set.
'I was trying to focus on myself and make sure I don’t give her that energy,' Sabalenka said. 'I didn’t want her to see I was annoyed by her even if I was a little bit at some points.'
Sabalenka will face Amanda Anisimova in the semi-finals. The 23-year-old American beat Anastasiya Pavlyuchenko 6-1, 7-6 and has won five of their eight previous meetings.
