I played really great tennis: Aryna Sabalenka

PARIS: The sun made a glowing appearance at Roland Garros, signaling the change in conditions to people around the grounds, from staff to spectators.
As fans shed jackets and put on fancy sunglasses, the player field fell in step with the spike in pace. The ball whizzed through the air and the bounce was truer. Summer was somewhere on the horizon.
Not that the second seed Aryna Sabalenka – powering around Court Philippe Chatrier in a fiery orange dress -- noticed.
The strapping Belarusian scored an emphatic 6-2, 6-3 win over the No.22 seed American Emma Navarro, who had got the better of Sabalenka in their only previous meeting this year at Indian Wells, to move into her seventh consecutive Grand Slam quarterfinal. Consistency has a new name.
Sabalenka, who plays 17-year-old Mirra Andreeva, the world no. 38, in the last eight, shrugged when asked if the lighter conditions affected her play.
“I don't know,” the world No.2 said. “I felt like I was playing great tennis when it was cold. Today, I played really great tennis as well when it was warm and the conditions were different. Right now it doesn't matter what the conditions are, all that matters is how focused I'm going to be and if I'll be ready to fight for every point and be ready for long rallies.”
Elena Rybakina, the world No.4, who is seeded to play Sabalenka in the semifinals, prefers heavier conditions.
The Kazakh put out Elina Svitolina 6-4, 6-3 to make the last eight, where she faces Italy’s No.12 seed Jasmine Paolini,
The Moscow-born 24-year-old, who is second on the leaderboard for aces in the tournament, having sent down 21, thought that while the court was still a bit heavy on Monday, the ball was flying because the sun was out.
“Heavier conditions are better for me, I can hit the ball and it's not going to fly so much,” she said. “Today (against Svitolina) the ball was flying too much. There was even a difference (in an hour) from when I was warming up to when we came on the court to play (the match). It was different.”
Rybakina, who has struggled with illness and energy levels, went back to basics. “In the end I need to adjust and play in any weather,” she said.
Sabalenka, one of the biggest servers in the game, whose serve strayed a couple of seasons ago with her doublefault count choking her game in matches, has served only two double faults so far in the clay court major this year.
A balanced approach, the Belarusian noted, was most important in Grand Slams especially as it is played across a fortnight.
She said, “Definitely everyone feels pressure, but with experience I figure out how to manage this pressure.”
“On the match day, I'm really focused, I feel all the pressure and deal with it,” she said. “On the day off, I'm able to completely switch off and forget about tennis, go out and have fun for my mental health to be strong. It's about how you're able to manage the energy.”