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Aryna Sabalenka faced little opposition as she ignored a nagging lower back issue to earn a 6-2, 6-4 defeat of Jelena Ostapenko.on Wednesday at the Rome Masters.
The top seed who has won the last two Australian Open titles, revealed she was unsure of taking to the court in summery temperatures at the Foro Italico due to a lower back problem which cropped up during her previous day’s win over Elina Svitolina.
The No. 1-ranked winner managed her victory after just a brief pre-match hit-out.
“I was testing my body on the warmup and I felt OK,” she said, I’m super happy I was able to play without pain today.
“Hopefully, with every day I will feel better and better. This was the best performance of the tournament.”
Sabalenka’s victory took a brief 73 minutes, with the winner never facing a break point while breaking her Latvian opponent three times.
She ended with 12 winners and 11 unforced errors, with Ostapenko going 18 and 18.
Sabalenka now stands 3-0 in her series with Ostapenko.
Main photo:- Ayrna Sabalenka winning in Rome – by WTATour.com
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