Aryna Sabalenka brushed off praise for her aggressive forehand following her straight-sets win over Magda Linette.
Sabalenka’s average forehand speed of around 140km/h positions her up there with the top men’s players.
Italian Matteo Berrettini averaged a similar figure last year and he boasts the quickest forehand in the men’s competition.
During her on-court interview, Nine broadcaster Casey Dellacqua raised the « super impressive » feat, which was met by cheers from the crowd.
This caused Sabalenka to blush before kissing her biceps in reply.
« I’m just wondering, does it feel as good as it looks? » Dellacqua asked.
« Well, to be honest, not really. I actually think that I hit really slow balls today, » Sabalenka replied with a chuckle.
« But I don’t know. Thank you, I mean, I’ve got good genetics, I guess. »
