Eager Sabalenka still coming down from US Open high

Aryna Sabalenka confessed on Tuesday that she is still on a high from her US Open title win a fortnight ago, with the three-time Grand slam champion hoping to focus for this week’s China Open.

“I think I still need some time to realise what happened,” the WTA No. 2 said prior to her start in Beijing.

“I just want to keep going till the end (of the season) without, like, looking back and thinking.

“I had four or five days off (after her New York title over Jessica Pegula. “it was enough to celebrate, to have fun, to recharge, reset, and start everything over again.”

Sabalenka, who has reached two quarter-finals in the Chinese capital, said she feels prepared after 10 days of training before flying East.

Though she is gaining on absent No. 1 Iga Swiatek – out for personal reasons this week – Sabalenka is trying to keep dreams of a possible move to the top ranking well in check.

“That’s one of my goals, but I’m not trying to focus on that. I’m trying to focus on my game. 

“There are only three tournaments left. I’m just trying to bring my best tennis on court. After the season, I’ll see if it was enough to finish the year at world No. 1 or have to improve something else to get there.”

Sabalenka cannot help but imagine the possibility: “To be called best player in the world, that really means a lot. 

“My whole life, I’ve been working so hard to get to the top 100, then top 50, then top 10, get to the top two. 

“If one day I’ll be world No. 1, to be called best player in the world, that means everything. It’s good to know that you’ve been doing the right thing, all of that, hours of training, wasn’t a waste of time.”