"Girl, I feel you like nobody else" - Aryna Sabalenka empathizes with Coco Gauff after American's disastrous serving display in Wuhan Open SF

Aryna Sabalenka came back from a set down against Coco Gauff to book her spot in a third straight Wuhan Open final. The top seed prevailed 1-6, 6-4, 6-4. While Sabalenka overcame a slow start, she was also helped by a plethora (21 to be exact) of double faults from her opponent.

Notably, Gauff has been struggling with her serve for quite some time now. She had also infamously hit 18 doubles faults during her US Open loss to Emma Navarro last month.

Sabalenka, who has herself dealt with double fault woes as recently as the 2022 season, was quick to empathise. Speaking to the media during her post-match press conference, the top seed said no one could feel Gauff was going through quite like her.

The Belarussian conceded that serving woes can be really difficult to handle but expressed belief in Gauff’s ability to overcome the challenges.

"I was playing that match thinking, like, Well, girl, I feel you. I feel you like nobody else," Aryna Sabalenka said of Coco Gauff's serving woes. "I know what she's going through. This is really difficult. This is really tough."

"But I know that if she'll be able to overcome this serve situation, she already one of the best players, but I'm pretty sure she's going to be one of the greatest players," she added.

Sabalenka said Gauff's drop in level, especially on serve, was evident in the second set. That, she added, gave her the belief that she could still come back into the match despite having conceded the opener rather tamely.

"I mean, how did it feel? At some point in the second set when she was keep breaking me, I was like, Okay, I still have chances on her serve," Sabalenka said. "I was just trying to put as much pressure on her as I can so she would go even crazier on her serve."

'Yeah, I think she just dropped her level on her serve. I just felt like, Okay, I still have some chances in this match. I was pushing myself so hard to put balls back on the other side as much as I could," she added.

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"I'm happy I was able to turn around this match" - Aryna Sabalenka after beating Coco Gauff at Wuhan Open

Aryna Sabalenka in action against Coco Gauff at the 2024 Wuhan Open (Source: Getty)

Aryna Sabalenka also spoke about her slow start against Coco Gauff, saying that she was unable to find her groundstrokes at the beginning of the match. She acknowledged feeling somewhat flustered during this initial period

The top seed confessed to having fleeting thoughts of giving up but managed to stay focused and seize any potential opportunities that might arise. She expressed delight at having been able to turn things around.

"At the beginning, I couldn't do anything," the 26-year-old said. "I didn't feel any strokes. It felt like, Whatever. I kind of like accepted I already lost this match. I was like, Okay, whatever. If she's going to give me chances, I'll try my best."

"If not, whatever, I'll fly back home, enjoy a little rest time and prepare for the Finals. But yeah, I'm happy I was able to turn around this match," she added.

Sabalenka will face off against local favorite Zheng Qinwen in the final, aiming to secure her third consecutive Wuhan Open championship. The Chinese beat compatriot Wang Xinyu in her semifinal encounter.