During a rough day in Rome, Aryna Sabalenka was heckled by a fan, resulting in a code violation and an expletive-filled outburst from the Belarusian. After losing the first set, the world No. 1 was broken in the first game of the second set. At 6-4, 1-0, Zheng was 30/0 up on her serve and two points away from closing out the game.
That’s when someone from the crowd yelled: “Come on Aryna, play tennis. Sabalenka certainly didn’t appreciate it much and responded: “Shut the f— up.”
The chair umpire instantly hit the three-time Grand Slam champion with a code violation, all while Zheng needed a moment to realize what had happened.
Unfortunately for Sabalenka, her day did not improve after the incident, as she lost the match 6-4 6-3 after dropping her serve in the ninth game of the second set.
Sabalenka had a terrible day, whereas Zheng had a terrific day
The 22-year-old Chinese had one of her best days at work. In the previous, the world number eight had lost her first six matches against Sabalenka. And, unsurprisingly, she did not disguise her joy after ultimately defeating the Belarussian.
“During all this time I’m trying to beat her on court. Sometimes I’m really close, but it’s just I never make it before. This is the first time we play on clay. I guess when I play on clay, I’m more comfortable because I got great experience on clay. [I was] more patient than her. I’m just happy with my performance and happy to make the step forward to beat the World No. 1,” Zheng said after beating Sabalenka.