Mandatory Credit: Susan Mullane-USA TODAY Sports

Why was Aryna Sabalenka’s Match Dismissed? Exploring the Reason Behind Match Suspension in German Open

The match has been pushed to Thursday, June 19.

Mandatory Credit: Susan Mullane-USA TODAY Sports

World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka’s round of 16 matchup against Switzerland’s Rebeka Masarova at the Berlin Open was suspended midway. It created a big controversy around the game and the Belarusian ace looked unhappy with authority’s decision.

Sabalenka, who recently lost to Coco Gauff in the French Open final, arrived in Berlin to prepare for the Wimbledon which is starting from June 30. It was her first match in the German Open and match started on time. In the opening set, the three-time Grand Slam champion looked solid and she dispatched Masarova 6-2 in the opening set.

Sabalenka claims the set 💫

Due to court conditions the match will conclude tomorrow!#BTO pic.twitter.com/ZqcAW9Ni89
— wta (@WTA) June 18, 2025

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Why was Aryna Sabalenka’s Match Suspended at Berlin Open?

After the opening set which was clinched by Sabalenka, the umpire decided to suspend the game due to bad light. The world No. 1 had a conversation with the umpire on a decision. She was going in a great momentum but unfortunately, she has to resume the game on Thursday. The match has been pushed to June 19 and will be played from the second set.

Sabalenka was less than pleased with the umpire’s call. The suspension request came from the Swiss ace and she wasn’t interested to carry on due to slippery conditions. Masarova’s plea was granted, with the match rescheduled for Thursday.

Sabalenka and Masarova’s match in Berlin is stopped due to the court getting slippery.

Rebeka wanted to stop play.

Aryna wanted to continue:

“You’re stopping the match because she said that side is slippery? I just played 2 games on that side”

pic.twitter.com/kUWf1WoML7
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) June 18, 2025

The Belarusian ace wanted to play her first round fixture and she was looking to wrap up the matchup in straight sets. Her frustration was seen on the camera and had an argument with with the supervisor. Sabalenka was heard saying: “You’re stopping the match because she said that side is slippery? I just played 2 games on that side.”

Masarova failed to convert all six first set break point chances. Sabalenka felt the Swiss ace is making such requests because she was losing the match. Sabalenka’s pleas were refused and the chair umpire suspended the match. Th wanning daylight was another reason behind it. Both players will be back and it will be interesting to see how Sabalenka carries the momentum on Thursday.

Sabalenka is going to finish this game in straight sets due to her dominant form this year. Before entering be Berlin Open, the Belarusian ace fired 156 aces, won 67.4% of first-serve points, 48% on return, and converted 49.4% of her break chances across 47 matches. The duo do not have a head-to-head yet as they are playing for the first time.

Mandatory Credit: Susan Mullane-USA TODAY Sports

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A native of Jaipur, Rajasthan, journalist, and a complete soccer and basketball fan, he found the huge interest with basketball by watching videos of Allen Iverson and Tony Parker, but fell head over heels in love with the sport during the Warriors’ championship era (2015-2018). A sports game addict since his late PS1, he’s also passionate about the Eagles, Inter Miami and the Fever. He’s fortunate to have seen all his favorite teams win championships. He also has a special love for cricket and football (soccer), where he is a fan of Royal Challengers Bangalore and Barcelona.