From centre court to pitchside: Aryna Sabalenka watches Lionel Messi rescue Inter

Dubai: What does a tennis champ do after winning in Miami? Aryna Sabalenka went to see Lionel Messi, of course.

The world No 1 enjoyed a front-row view as Messi found the net — but Inter Miami were held to a 1-1 draw by a spirited Toronto FC on Sunday in Fort Lauderdale.

Fresh off her Miami Open win, Sabalenka was all smiles in a TikTok video shared by Inter, saying, “I love it and I am enjoying my time.” The Belarusian received a No 1 Inter Miami jersey with her name on it and showed off her throwing skills by launching a signed tennis ball into the crowd. “It’s good to be able to win a title at home and great to attend other sports events,” she added.

Sabalenka now turns her focus to the European clay-court swing, with Roland Garros looming large. But she’ll have to contend with her old rival, Iga Swiatek, who — despite a dip in dominance — remains the undisputed Queen of Clay. Swiatek hasn’t reached a final since her fourth Roland Garros triumph last year, yet continues to reach the business end of tournaments and will be defending a mountain of points after sweeping the Italian Open, Madrid Open, and French Open in 2023.

Back on the pitch, Messi was on target but Inter Miami couldn’t find a way past a resilient Toronto side, who remain winless but showed plenty of fight. The Canadian outfit, 14th in the 15-team Eastern Conference, hit the woodwork twice in the first half and troubled Miami’s shaky defence throughout.

Messi looked to have opened the scoring in the 39th minute with a low drive from the edge of the box — a trademark finish — but VAR ruled it out for a foul on French defender Nicksoen Gomis in the build-up.

Just minutes later, Toronto struck first. Italian forward Federico Bernardeschi twisted inside the box before poking his shot past Miami keeper Drake Callender to silence the home crowd.

But Messi responded before the break. Found in space by Telasco Segovia, the Argentine icon fired a pinpoint strike past Sean Johnson to make it 1-1. That’s where the score stayed, despite chances at both ends.

As Inter continue to stutter and Toronto search for their first win, Sabalenka will soon return to the court with bigger ambitions in mind. Roland Garros is fast approaching — and while Messi shared the spotlight this week, the next stage belongs to the Queen of the clay.