"Got back at 3am" - Aryna Sabalenka updates recovery after controversial late-night finish in US Open 3R

Aryna Sabalenka spoke about her recovery following her third-round match against Ekaterina Alexandrova at the US Open. The fixture started after midnight at the Arthur Ashe Stadium.

Sabalenka did not have the best of starts to the match, as Alexandrova won the first set 6-2. However, the 26-year-old staged a brilliant fightback and dominated the next two sets to register a 2-6, 6-2, 6-1 win and book her place in the fourth round of the US Open.

Hours following the match's completion, the Belarusian took to X and said that she returned from the match at 3 am and woke up at noon.

"Got back at 3am , woke up at 12, not that bad," Sabalenka wrote.

A key reason behind the late start of the Sabalenka vs Alexandrova match was that there was a delay for over an hour following the end of the match between Ben Shelton and Frances Tiafoe.

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"Was an interesting decision" - Aryna Sabalenka on lengthy gap before the start of her match

Aryna Sabalenka during her match against Ekaterina Alexandrova (Source: Getty)

Following her match against Alexandrova, Sabalenka said that the decision to have a long gap in between matches was "interesting".

“That was an interesting decision in between matches to have this 1 hour and 20 minute gap. I was like ‘no way.. I’m gonna start at midnight.’ And that’s actually what happened. That was tricky. We stayed with the team and tried to relax. Right before the match we did our warm up and we hoped for the best," the Belarusian said.

Following her win over Ekaterina Alexandrova, Aryna Sabalenka will next face 33rd seed Elise Mertens in the fourth round of the US Open. The Belgian reached the singles Round of 16 at the New York Major for the first time since 2021 after coming back from a set down and defeating Madison Keys 6-7(5), 7-5, 6-4.

Sabalenka and Mertens will lock horns for the tenth time, with the Belarusian having a 7-2 lead in the head-to-head between the two. Their most recent encounter came during the third round of the Australian Open, with Sabalenka winning 6-2, 6-3.

Whoever out of the two wins, will take on either seventh seed Zheng Qinwen or 24th seed Donna Vekic in the US Open quarterfinals.