Sabine was up 5-2 in the third set over Bepa. She was absolutely crushing the ball, showing everyone why I call her Boom Boom. Back in 2009, Sabine was always my favorite of the Caro, Vika, Sorana, Aga crew of new talent. She was super nice, German, and had the big serve and forehand that I love. She made her great run at Wimbledon (bumping Caro along the way) and it looked like things were on the up and up for young German. Then she sustained that horrible ankle injury at the US Open and she's been fighting to get herself back ever since. It's been a tough process to watch but her attitude throughtout has been admirable. The kid was plugging away and this year we started to see the results.
So at 5-2 up, it looked like Sabine was ready to score her first big scalp since coming back. Remember this is a kid who beat Venus, Kuz, and Caro before she had injury problems. A win over Bepa would be huge.
And then her body gave out on her. She started cramping and from there, despite her fight, Bepa reeled off five straight games to take the match. Sabine had to be carried off the court in a stretcher and rushed to the infirmary. Word is that she's fine now. Just physically and emotionally exhausted from the match. But man, when is this kid going to catch a break. She's one of those players who, when on, seems unbeatable. The forehand and serve are just that good.
Get a saline drip and rest up, Sabine. It's so nice to have you back in the mix (she's back into the top 100). On to Wimbledon!
(Pics: Getty)
