Aryna Sabalenka’s Mature Tweet Back in Focus After Qinwen Zheng Blames 2 AM Finish for US Open Exit

Aryna Sabalenka breezed past Qinwen Zheng in the quarterfinals of the US Open 2024. The Belarusian required only 73 minutes to clinch a dominant 6-1, 6-2 win. With the match being a slightly lackluster affair, numerous incidents from after the match went viral. Two incidents in particular have gotten Zheng criticism as enthusiasts and analysts question her sportsmanship.

After the one-sided loss, the Chinese national wouldn’t embrace Sabalenka properly during their handshake at the net. To make matters worse, the Olympic gold medallist didn’t give her opponent credit for the win. Instead, the #7 seed blamed her 2:15 AM 4^th round match finish for a subpar production.

During the press conference, the 21-year-old claimed that the late finish against Donna Vekic hampered her schedule the following day. Not getting any practice was one of the drawbacks of sleeping at 5 AM. She pinned the blame for her loss on the organizers’ scheduling by saying that a practice session yesterday would’ve helped performance better on Tuesday night.

“Of course it affects a lot. Especially I couldn’t sleep after I finish the match at 2.30 in morning.

“This affected because I was not able to practice yesterday… I was feeling terrible. I couldn’t wake up. I wanted to play tennis, but I didn’t feel I could do it.

“There are other players who finish, like, really late. I can’t complain about anything, because sometimes the schedules are like this.

“If I hit some balls yesterday maybe it would help for the match, but it’s fine,” Zheng said.

As Zheng’s comments are going viral, a 4-day-old tweet from Sabalenka has been resurfacing on social media. After a third-round win over Ekaterina Alexandrova, the two-time Grand Slam winner went to sleep at 3 AM and didn’t seem to be affected by the late-night finish.

The difference in attitude between the two players, in terms of skills and sportsmanship, has been highlighted by their reaction to late-night finishes. And this is also why Sabalenka is becoming more of a fan favorite with each passing day.

Sabalenka tries winning the crowd at the Arthur Ashe Stadium

Sabalenka extended her impressive streak of reaching the semifinals at the US Open for a fourth consecutive year. While she will be the favorite to emerge victorious in her clash against Emma Navarro, the latter will be receiving much more support for understandable reasons.

Born in New York, Navarro will be receiving immense love on Thursday. However, the Minsik native has tried her best to win the crowd.

Following the battle against Zheng, Sabalenka lured the crowd into supporting her in the next match by offering free drinks to everyone present in the Arthur Ashe Stadium.

The Honey Deuce has been the most loved drink at the Flushing Meadows. Gifting a free drink to the spectators is a sure-shot way to win their hearts and maybe a place in the final on Saturday.