There was all fun and games at The Garden Cup between Aryna Sabalenka and Naomi Osaka. The contest between the two players was abrupted after Sabalenka offered a fan to have a go on court, with Osaka later doing the same thing.The crowd were in for a treat at Madison Square Garden in New York. It is a yearly exhibition held at the venue with some of the biggest talents in the world of tennis coming out to put on a show. That is exactly what occurred between Sabalenka and Osaka. In the end, it would prove to be the current world number one leaving the court more satisfied after once again defeating the former number one 6-4, 7-5. It is her second victory in two days over Osaka after the Atlanta Cup triumph. However, Osaka was able to have the last laugh as she teamed up with Nick Kyrgios to overcome Sabalenka and Tommy Paul in a mixed doubles contest moments after.A fairytale in New York – ending in push-ups
Sabalenka spiced up the match by picking out a fan from the stands to compete for her. She was smart about this, getting him out when she was 40-0 in front. He had a golden opportunity to seal a game over Osaka, who looked befuddled when he lined up on the other side of the court. It turned out he could play, smacking a big serve towards Osaka’s way before following it up with some big forehands. Unfortunately, he was playing a four-time grand Slam winner who comfortably returned everything coming her way. The fan would lose the point after hitting the net with Sabalenka sarcastically raising her arms in the air in disappointment.
He was set to take part in an interview before a second opportunity arose for him, this time standing in for Osaka. He was looking to make up for his wasted opportunity last time, but could only return Sabalenka’s serve into the net. It did not get much better returning the next one beyond the baseline. From cheers turned to the boos as he struggled to settle against Sabalenka. He went 40-0 down before shushing the crowd who were starting to show their disgruntlement with his showing.
“I’m a Wilson player,” he commented, highlighting the difference in racket brands from the pair. He took Sabalenka’s racket, but again did not have much luck. Consequently, it was also match point he spurned for Osaka. The performance was not to the level expected by Osaka, who made the fans get down and do push-ups, making Sabalenka and the crowd go in hysterics.
After the match, he finally got his interview. “It’s pressure, I don’t know what’s going on. I lost the match for her. I’m sorry Aryna. I still love you. You’re still my queen I love you!” As a kind act, he was allowed to keep the racket, a special souvenir from a crazy night. It was also second chance saloon for Osaka, who got the chance to continue playing after those points did not count. She would still inevitably go on to lose.
AloJapan.com