Sabalenka pulls off 'crazy comeback' to defeat Rybakina at Berlin Open
Belarus' Aryna Sabalenka celebrates winning against Kazakhstan's Elena Rybakina in their women's singles quarterfinal match of the Berlin WTA tennis tournament, in Berlin, Friday, June 20, 2025. (Andreas Gora/dpa via AP)
Belarus' Aryna Sabalenka returns a shot to Kazakhstan's Elena Rybakina, during their women's singles quarterfinal match of the Berlin WTA tennis tournament, in Berlin, Friday, June 20, 2025. (Andreas Gora/dpa via AP)
Belarus' Aryna Sabalenka celebrates winning against Kazakhstan's Elena Rybakina, during their women's singles quarterfinal match of the Berlin WTA tennis tournament, in Berlin, Friday, June 20, 2025. (Andreas Gora/dpa via AP)
Belarus' Aryna Sabalenka celebrates winning against Kazakhstan's Elena Rybakina, during their women's singles quarterfinal match of the Berlin WTA tennis tournament, in Berlin, Friday, June 20, 2025. (Andreas Gora/dpa via AP)
Belarus' Aryna Sabalenka celebrates winning against Kazakhstan's Elena Rybakina in their women's singles quarterfinal match of the Berlin WTA tennis tournament, in Berlin, Friday, June 20, 2025. (Andreas Gora/dpa via AP)
Belarus' Aryna Sabalenka returns a shot to Kazakhstan's Elena Rybakina, during their women's singles quarterfinal match of the Berlin WTA tennis tournament, in Berlin, Friday, June 20, 2025. (Andreas Gora/dpa via AP)
Belarus' Aryna Sabalenka celebrates winning against Kazakhstan's Elena Rybakina, during their women's singles quarterfinal match of the Berlin WTA tennis tournament, in Berlin, Friday, June 20, 2025. (Andreas Gora/dpa via AP)
BERLIN (AP) — Top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka staged a 'crazy comeback", saving four match points before beating Elena Rybakina 7-6, 3-6, 7-6 in the quarterfinals of the Berlin Open tennis tournament on Friday.
Sabalenka was 6-2 down in the final-set tiebreak but came storming back, winning six straight points to reach her eighth semifinal of the season.
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'Elena is a great player and we've had a lot of tough battles," Sabalenka said. "I have no idea how I was able to win those last points. I think I just got lucky.
'I remember a long time ago when I was just starting, I won a lot of matches being down match points, and not so long ago I was thinking that it's been a while since I've made a crazy comeback, and here I am.
'It's amazing to win matches like that. I'm proud of myself for how I stayed in it. I was fighting, I was trying until the very last point.'
Sabalenka next faces Marketa Vondrousova, who defeated Ons Jabeur 6-4, 6-1.
Liudmila Samsonova also went through with a 6-1, 6-1 victory over Amanda Anisimova.
Samsonova will next meet Wang Xinyu or Paula Badosa.
___
More AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis
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