Aryna Sabalenka Reveals US Open Goals After Matching Serena Williams Feat: “I Don’t Care”

“I’m sticking to my game plan—staying aggressive and putting maximum pressure on my opponent,” said defending champion Aryna Sabalenka after her dominant victory over Canada’s Leylah Fernandez to reach the US Open last 16. Unfazed by what comes next, Sabalenka dominated front to back, delivering a stellar performance against Spain’s Cristina Bucșa. With an impressive 85% win rate on her first serve, she methodically dismantled Bucșa’s game, closing out the match 6-1, 6-4. Already recognized among the greats, Sabalenka’s approach is simple: go, dominate, win, and return, because, as she herself admits, she simply doesn’t care about anything else.

After her dominant 6-2, 7-6 victory over Fernandez and Bucșa, Sabalenka has become only the fourth woman since 2000 to reach the quarterfinals of four Grand Slam events in a single season as WTA #1. The other three are Martina Hingis (2000), Lindsay Davenport (2005), and Serena Williams (2015–16). Quite a feat for her to make sure that Williams’ reach is not so far. Well, after the victory, the reporters asked how it felt to be the defending champion, to which she stated, “Well, that’s exactly what I’m not doing. I’m not playing to not lose.” She further addded, “I’m playing to win, and I don’t care about what happened last year. I just know it’s a big achievement, and I’m super happy to achieve it once, but the goal is to do it many more times. So my mentality is going out there every time, bringing the best experience, and fighting for my dream.”