Aryna Sabalenka was busy doing Sabalenka things against Ekaterina Alexandrova in the second round of the Berlin Open. In a tight first set that could have gone either way, and each player battling to hold serve, the WTA No. 1 did what she often does.
That is that at the end of the set, just when one might have thought it was headed to a tie break, she raised her level, got a break, and won the set by two games. She's made a history of that kind of thing, which is one reason she has reached No. 1, won four majors, and isn't close to being done in her career.
Alexandrova was also a great matchup for the Belarusian early in Berlin. While the Russian reached a career-high ranking of No. 10 just last year and she is now 31 years old, seemingly not close to the constant level of Sabalenka, her style gives the Belarusian trouble.
Aryna Sabalenka defeats Ekaterina Alexandrova at the 2026 Berlin Open
Getting easy wins is nice, but Sabalenka, who has never won Wimbledon, likely needs more time on grass courts as a lead-up to the next major. She needs to be tested, and Alexandrova was a good test for her, and if she was able to win the match, that builds confidence to help take one of the two majors she has yet to win.
In the second set, Sabalenka got an early break and simply needed to keep holding to win the match and move into the quarterfinals. Berlin isn't a high-point tournament, but it's an important one because it's so close to the start of Wimbledon. Getting wins on grass for a player who hasn't achieved high-end success on the surface can be a boon to greater hopes.
The key isn't to get stuck in a struggle once a player has an advantage. On grass, a player can dictate play with a huge serve and then the ability to volley and end points quickly. Aryna Sabalenka is still learning that, and might never master the skill, but beating Alexandrova was an important step to potentially lifting the winner's plate after the final of Wimbledon.
In the end, Sabalenka won quite straightforwardly by taking the second set 6-4. It marked her 400th victory on the WTA tour.
Aryna Sabalenka will next face Nikola Bartunkova in the quarterfinals of the Berlin Open. The 20-year-old Czech has a game made for grass courts, so the challenge for Sabalenka will be real.
Add us as a preferred source on Google