Paula Badosa and Aryna Sabalenka recently teamed up to win their doubles match at the 2023 World Tennis League. After the match, Badosa expressed her admiration and affection for the Belarusian.
The World Tennis League is a mixed-gender team tennis tournament that features some of the sport’s biggest names such as Iga Swiatek, Elena Rybakina, and Taylor Fritz. The second edition of the event is being held in Abu Dhabi from December 21 to 24, 2023.
Badosa and Sabalenka are part of Team Kites, which is currently leading the standings with 27 points, along with Stefanos Tsitsipas and Grigor Dimitrov.
Badosa and Sabalenka have faced each other four times on the tour, with each player winning twice. Their first encounter was in the 2021 Cincinnati Open second round, where Badosa prevailed in three sets. They met again at the 2021 WTA Finals, where the Spaniard won in straight sets in the first-round robin match.
Sabalenka got her revenge at the 2022 Porsche Tennis Grand Prix, where she defeated Badosa in the semifinal 7-6(5), 6-4. Their most recent match was at the 2023 Stuttgart Open quarterfinal, where the Belarusian clinched a 4-6, 6-4, 6-4 win.
Despite their intense rivalry, Badosa and Sabalenka have forged a close friendship off the court. They often spend time together during tournaments and share jokes and compliments on social media.
Their friendship was on full display at the World Tennis League, where they teamed up to beat Mirra Andreeva and Sofia Kenin 6-3, 6-3, on Thursday, December 21. After the match, Badosa talked about her friendship with Sabalenka.
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