Eye of the Tiger: Sabalenka Rallies Into Berlin SF vs. Pegula

Pagliaro | Friday, June 19, 2026
Photo credit: Berlin Tennis Open Facebook

Gazing into the tennis mirror ball, Aryna Sabalenka saw stress spiking.

Losing 10 of the first 12 games, Sabalenka tapped into the tiger instinct for fight over flight.

Then the world No. 1 fought off dangerous Czech wild card Nikola Bartunkova 2-6, 7-6(2), 6-4 to advance to the Berlin Tennis Open semifinals for the second straight year.

Rocked on her heels at times by Bartunkova’s down the line darts, Sabalenka said this match gave her a glimpse of how it must feel to face herself.

“I was thinking ‘Whoa, that’s how it feels to play against me’,” Sabalenka said. “That was a little bit of frustration going on.

“Any ball I would give to her she would smack it with the winners. I was not sure what to do. I guess I just decided to bring this little tiger in me and fight for this match.”

That fight saw Sabalanka twice go up a break in the final set only to see the Bartunkova come back to snatch a 4-3 lead. Sabalenka converted her third match point to prevail on a three-game run.

“[I told myself] stay aggressive, trust my shots, to go after my shots,” Sabalenka said of her spirited comeback. “I’m not trying to go for the winners. I’m just trying to stay aggressive.”

Sabalenka slammed 10 aces against eight double faults and saved 11 of 17 break points she faced in a two hour, 23-minute win that was one of the fiercest comebacks of her career.

The top-seeded Belarusian will face Jessica Pegula for a spot in Sunday’s final.

Earlier, the third-seeded Pegula out-dueled good friend Madison Keys 7-6(5), 7-6(8) in an all-American quarterfinal clash.

Pegula saved five of seven break points and withstood 10 aces from the 2025 Australian Open champion to take a 3-2 lead in their head-to-head series.

“It’s another really fast game, fast player, really aggressive, flat, deep balls, really serving well,” Sabalenka said of Pegula. “It’s going to be a battle. I hope I can make it.”

Facing a deep 2-6, 0-4 deficit, Sabalenka was fighting both Bartunkova and herself—and not gaining too much traction in either battle.

Bartunkova held a break point in the seventh game and was one swing away from a 6-0, 5-2 lead when she botched a drop shot into the tape. Sabalenka survived the threat and held for 3-4.

Swinging more freely, Sabalenka was scorching some heavy forehands that drove Bartunkova backward as she banged out a second straight break in the eighth game.

Sabalenka swatted her fifth ace that helped her hold at 15—her fifth consecutive game—for a 5-4 lead.

Settling her game, Bartunkova worked through a tricky hold at 30 to force the second-set tiebreaker.

All the hard work Sabalenka has put in refining her front-court skills with co-coach and former world doubles No. 1 Max Mirnyi was on display as the top seed swooped forward and flicked a slick forehand half-volley winner for a 4-2 tiebreaker lead.

A Bartunkova double fault and forehand error gave the Belarusian a fistful of set points. Sabalenka slid the wide serve snatching the second set to force a decider after 95 minutes.

A barrage of deep blasts helped the US Open champion break to start the decider. Sabalenka slammed her eighth ace for a 2-0 third-set lead.

A double fault put Sabalenka in a break-point bind, then Bartunkova shoveled a running forehand push pass down the line to break back for 2-all.

Amping up the pace of her drives and volume on her grunts, Sabalenka hammered a heavy forehand into the corner breaking again for 3-2. 

Holding a 30-Love lead in the following game, Sabalenka lost the serving plot and double-faulted back the break in the sixth game. Bartunkova dodged a break point when Sabalenka sailed a forehand holding for 4-3.

Curling a crosscourt forehand winner, Sabalenka scored the love break for 5-3.

The Czech cranked a forehand winner to save match point in the 10th game. 

Undeterred, Sabalenka slammed her ninth ace for a second match point. A net-cord shot sat up as if on a tee for Sabalenka who put a backhand into net.

On her third match point, a hopping Sabalenka hit a forehand winner to secure her second straight semifinal spot in Berlin.