WIMBLEDON, GREAT BRITAIN — Na wah! Wetin we dey see for Centre Court no be small as World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka dey show serious fire as she take down homegirl Emma Raducanu 7-6(8), 6-4 on Friday night. E be like say Sabalenka don use her championship spirit carry her enter the Round of 16 at the prestigious Wimbledon and e no easy.
As the night fall, you fit hear crowd dey cheer, but Sabalenka no dey shake. Even as she dey down break in each set, she still manage hold her ground like say she dey play for small gully match back at home. “E be battle, and I dey happy say I win am,” Sabalenka talk after di match. Hmmm! No be small victory o!
The match take two hours, and na so Sabalenka don enter di second week of Wimbledon for di third time. Na true wah! She need save one set point for first set tie-break, and for second set, she almost waka enter 5-1 trouble, but she hold strong like iron and turn di match around. Na why dem dey call am di best.
She dey enjoy herself well as she wan focus on di next padi, No. 24 seed Elise Mertens, wey she don dey famz too-well. Mertens don disturb Elina Svitolina for di earlier match, and now wetin we go see as Sabalenka and Mertens face off. Dem don tag team before, winning about two Grand Slam doubles, but this na different ball game.
For real, di first set na big drama! E take Sabalenka 75 minutes to collect di first set, and crowd dey shout like dem dey enjoy soap opera. Raducanu don carry 4-2 lead, but Sabalenka waka come back dey chop points like say na fresh yam. At dem point, e be like movie plot twist — Raducanu go try serve di set, but Sabalenka dey jump like say she wan collect di set like trophy.
“Na experience dey work for me pass. Before, I go fit lose small-small things like dat, but now I don learn to dig deep,” Sabalenka add, dropping wisdom wey plenty need hear. Even as Raducanu dey try change di tide, Sabalenka don dey go for di kill like tiger wey don dey hungry.
Sabalenka go still watch for di next match like hawk, and for Raducanu, she don still dey grow. “She dey play well, and soon she go return back to her former self,” Sabalenka conclude. And just like that, we don put another chapter for di tennis story — who knows wetin go happen next!
