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Belarusian Tennis Beauty Aryna Sabalenka Dominates ‘Biased’ Indian Wells Crowd After Thumping Coco Gauff in Straight Sets

Published 03/15/2023, 11:39 PM EDT

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via Reuters

Coco Gauff had the whole crowd backing her, however, she failed to reach the semi-finals of the Indian Wells Masters. The crowd was all in favor of Gauff as she was going against Belarusian player Aryna Sabalenka. It seems like she was not the only one who noticed. And winning in front of the home crowd of the opponent is always a bit weird. However, Sabalenka took the moment to lighten up the mood of the audience.

After winning her first Grand Slam title at the Australian Open this year, the Belarusian player wants to go ahead with more victories. And for now, she is happy with her win and a little teasing has never hurt a tennis crowd…

Aryna Sabalenka pulls the crowd’s leg at Indian Wells after defeating Coco Gauff

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The match was quite a definite one where Sabalenka took down American teenage sensation Gauff in straight sets. The crowd obviously was in support of Gauff, however, it was not only Gauff who noticed that.

via Reuters

After the match, Sabalenka started with a taunting statement, “I knew you guys wanted to send me home…” Laughing it off with the crowd, she said, “Actually, it was a tough match. She’s a great player. Just super happy with the win.” And then once again came a hilarious punchline for the crowd and she said, “Thank you everyone for coming and supporting us, mostly her, but us. I don’t wanna leave for as long as I can just to enjoy the atmosphere.”

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The Belarusian upset the last year’s Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina in the finals of the Australian Open this year. The “down under” was quite fruitful for her as she also won the Adelaide International I before the major. However, after that, she has yet to clinch a new title and for that, she is making quick strides at the Indian Wells.

On the other hand, Coco Gauff has to face another disappointment. After winning the first title of the year at Auckland, she was now aiming to get her next one in her home WTA tournament. It seems like she has to give up on that for now.

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Gauff’s loss at the Australian Open was disappointing for many

Failing to gain back her momentum, Gauff has to start yet again. The loss at the first major of the year was quite difficult. However, it was not just her who felt disheartened over her early loss at the Australian Open.

In a podcast with John McEnroe’s brother, former American tennis player, Mary Joe Fernandez expressed his views on it. He stated that Gauff should not have lost to a player like Jelena Ostapenko. However, he also saw it as a learning curve for her where she can only improve.

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WATCH THIS STORY: 18-Year-Old Coco Gauff Dreams To Replicate Serena Williams and Naomi Osaka’s Fashion Feat in an Unexpected Fan Confession

And though Gauff still has a lot to learn, she is calm and composed in channelizing her energy. What do you think her learning curve has been like? Can she win a major tournament this year? Let us know your views in the comments below.

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Written by:

Shivali Sharma

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Shivali Sharma is a tennis author at EssentiallySports. She has pursued her Master's in history from Himachal University, but her love for the game has driven her to write about tennis. Shivali is a huge fan of Naomi Osaka and admires Osaka not only for her on-court performances, but also for her off-court actions.
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