Quote of the Day: At home in Miami, Aryna Sabalenka ousts Danielle Collins and aces laundry

MIAMI, USA —After a painful defeat in the Indian Wells final, all Aryna Sabalenka wanted to do was forget everything and head straight to the next tournament.

The world No. 1 reached the final without dropping a set in the California desert, recording a confidence-boosting 6-0, 6-1 victory against Madison Keys in the semifinal—a dose of revenge after falling to the American in the Australian Open final.

Sabalenka took the first set against an inspired Mirra Andreeva in the IW final, but the Russian teenager came storming back to win and clinch her second of back-to-back WTA 1000 titles.

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Just as she did after the final, Sabalenka had nothing but praise for her young opponent as she reflected on the moment on Monday. But at the same time, Sabalaenka says she’s also been relying on every professional tennis player’s selective amnesia to get over the disappointment.

“I mean, it was just, I believe, not my day. Me and my team, we know what happened there, what I was struggling with,” Sabalenka told press in Miami after ousting defending champion Danielle Collins 6-4, 6-4 in the fourth round.

“I didn't have that much time to be depressed or anything. I was straight back to practice on the next day. I'm here in Miami, so I already forgot what happened there…

“You know, you should have this short memory, and you kind of forget it quicker if you have something coming up next.”

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Up next, of course, was the Miami Open presented by Itau, which is effectively a home tournament for Sabalenka. Hailing from the Belarusian capital of Minsk, Sabalenka is one of several pro players who has made Miami her home base, taking up residence in a sun-soaked players haven.

For the Miami-based players who return for the WTA 1000 event, it can be a bit tricky to balance the ‘relaxing at home’ vibes with the ‘always locked in’ intensity of a two-week tournament atmosphere.

Not for Sabalenka, though. The Belarusian says that being home has put her in such a good mood that she’s even relishing the chance to do household chores this week:

Q. Are there ever pros and cons to staying at home during a tournament: arranging your own cars, doing your own laundry, these types of things?

ARYNA SABALENKA: I love it! (laughs)

I love to stay home. As you said, it's even really nice to do my laundry. I can do it any time. Not like I have to wait a day. Also, driving my car!

Being at home, going to my favorite places, and to be in this environment—not, like, chill but a cozy and comfy environment. It's pretty cool, and I'm happy.

I'm happy I have a house here and I'm based here so I can feel this atmosphere during a tournament.

Read More: Aryna Sabalenka takes a rare loss in Australian Open slugfest

Feeling right at home in South Florida, Sabalenka will be on even more familiar territory at the Hard Rock Stadium when she takes on Zheng Qinwen in the quarterfinals on Tuesday. Having fired seven aces against Collins and won 76% of her first-serve points on Monday, Sabalenka will want to come out swinging as she seeks to extend her 5-0 head-to-head lead against Zheng.

"At the Australian Open I was serving not very good, so after we were working a lot on my serve to get back the shot, to get back on track with the serve," Sabalenka told press. "I'm super happy with the way I'm serving right now, and I think against Danielle I served really smart.

"At some moments I was just going as hard as possible, and I was making those aces, but mostly I think it was pretty smart serving from me. Yeah, I'm happy to see my serve back."