WUHAN, China—Game, set match: (Saba-saba-saba)-Sabalenka.
Aryna Sabalenka was treated to an extra-special celebration upon winning a third title and 17th straight match at the Dongfeng Voyah Wuhan Open, the tournament DJ opting to play “Tiger,” the tribute track by djKDS all about the former world No. 1.
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“They’re actually friends of my boyfriend,” Sabalenka reveled after surviving Zheng Qinwen, 6-3, 5-7, 6-3 to stay perfect in her first trip to Wuhan since 2019.
“I heard this song first…probably when I was injured and I was in Miami,” she recalled, having posted a video in the car alongside boyfriend Georgios Frangulis. “Yeah, I love the song. I’ve made some reels with it!”
Though she was up against a crowd favorite in Zheng, who was born in the Hubei province and playing only her second tournament in China since winning gold at the Summer Olympic Games in Paris, the reigning Australian and US Open champion enjoyed warm support throughout the week with applause and with song.
“I was really surprised. I think after the first match or second match they turn on this song. I was like, ‘Wow, they found it.’ It’s so cool. It was nice to hear that song.”
“Tiger” joins the tragically small pantheon of tennis-themed bops, which includes the likes of “Autograph,” a Bryan Bros Band hit featuring vocals from Andy Murray and Novak Djokovic, the “Petko Dance” song dedicated to Andrea Petkovic, and “Oxygen,” the criminally overlooked 2012 single from Caroline Wozniacki.
Now that she’s won her fourth title of 2024, is it time for Sabalenka to get behind the mic herself? 🎤
