Aryna Sabalenka began her journey in Rome with a 6-2, 6-2 win over Anastasia Potapova on Friday to advance to the third round of the Internazionali BNL d'Italia.
Sabalenka left the court smiling and waving to her fans, posing and taking selfies. Seeing that, Potapova raised her middle finger as a sign of joking. With a grin, Sabalenka also took a photo of her opponent.
"If she beats me, I probably will do the same thing," Sabalenka said in a post-match press conference with a laugh, as broadcast by the WTA on Friday.
"She's a nice girl and we're good friends. I can understand how she feels right now. But there's no tension, it's just a joke."
Despite the off-court banter, Sabalenka was serious as the Madrid champion extended her winning streak to seven matches.
Having also finished runner-up in Stuttgart last month, Sabalenka's claycourt record this year is 9-1.
