Aryna Sabalenka has spoken about the controversial hindrance call from the first set of her semi-final win tonight.
She also overcame a controversial hindrance call on the first point of the fourth game, where the chair umpire ruled her grunt had lasted too long.
A subsequent video review upheld that decision, which Sabalenka gave a thumbs-down reaction to, but she ended up securing the first break in that game after overwhelming Svitolina from the back of the court. But Sabalenka was still bemused about the call post-match.
“That’s never happened to me, especially with my grunting,” she said.
“It’s so off, I think … the ball was deep, and the bounce was wrong, and it was just like the timing. I was exhaling, and it just happened naturally. Then she called it, and I was, like, ‘What? What is wrong with you?’.
“I think it was the wrong call, but whatever. How do I say [it] in a nice way? She really pissed me off, and it actually helped me and benefited my game. I was more aggressive. I was not happy with the call, so it really helped me to get that game.”