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Aryna Sabalenka's apology to Chinese supporters after defeating Zheng Qinwen at the 2024 Australian Open final has sparked amusement among tennis fans.
Just days before the title clash in Melbourne, Sabalenka logged back into the Chinese microblogging site Weibo after three years. The Belarusian expressed excitement at sharing her tennis journey with Chinese fans and urged them to watch Saturday's final.
"Excited to be back on Weibo to share my tennis journey with my Chinese fans! It's going to be an exciting final tomorrow, especially against Qinwen Zheng, a tough competitor. I hope you tune in to watch," Sabalenka wrote on Weibo.
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Sabalenka successfully defended her Australian Open title, registering a 6-3, 6-2 win over Qinwen on Saturday (January 27). The Belarusian eased past her opponent in an hour and 16 minutes.
Following her win, Sabalenka once again took to the social media platform, this time, to mark her apology upon defeating Qinwen for the title.
"Hi guys, here I'm with the trophy. I'm so sorry. I know y'all support Qinwen and I understand it. Anyway, thank you so much for all the support. I love playing in China. Hopefully, I'll comeback this year to China. Thank you so much. See you soon," the Belarusian said in a video posted on Weibo.
Sabalenka's apology video has amused fans on social media. One fan reckoned it was some "next-level trolling" from the Belarusian to do so.
"That's some next level trolling," a fan wrote on X (formerly Twitter).
Another fan hilariously noted how Sabalenka had returned to the site after years only to wave the Australian Open trophy at the fans and apologize for the win.
"Logging back into Weibo after years to ask for support in the final then apologizing for the win and waving the trophy in their faces I’m dead," the fan's tweet read.
Here are a few more fan reactions:
"You are such an incredible player" - Aryna Sabalenka showers praise on Zheng Qinwen after Australian Open final
Aryna Sabalenka had words of praise for Zheng Qinwen after the Australian Open final. During the presentation ceremony, the Belarusian called her opponent an "incredible player" and expected her to win more finals in the future.
"I know this feeling, it's tough to lose in a final but you are such an incredible player, such a young girl. You are going to be in many more finals and you are going to get it," Sabalenka said.
With Saturday's result, Sabalenka improved her head-to-head record against Qinwen to 2-0. The Belarusian is currently 11-1 for the season with her only defeat coming in the Brisbane International final, where she lost to Elena Rybakina 0-6, 3-6.
Zheng Qinwen, meanwhile, has only played at the Melbourne Major so far this season. Her win-loss record stands at 6-1.
