Aryna Sabalenka: Iga Swiatek: “I love having this competition and I love seeing her in the draw.”
Aryna Sabalenka believes her rivalry with Iga Swiatek is “something much-needed” in women’s tennis as she admits she can’t wait to play against the Pole again.
The duo have been the best two players on the WTA Tour the past two years and they currently occupy the top two spots in the WTA Rankings.
Their battle for the year-end No 1 ranking will only be decided at the season-ending WTA Finals following Swiatek’s decision to skip the back-to-back WTA 1000 events in China.
The Pole currently leads the way, but Sabalenka will close the gap in the standings to just 69 points if she enjoys a title run at the Wuhan Open.
Having already reached the third round, the Belarusian is now also just one win away from overtaking Swiatek in the Race To Riyadh, which will give her the top seed status for the WTA Finals.
“Having this rivalry with Iga is something big for tennis and something much-needed, I would say, in women’s tennis,” Sabalenka said. “To keep this competition going would be really good for tennis.”
She added: “I love having this competition and I love seeing her in the draw.
“I love to get to the finals and face her. It’s always great battles. I always enjoy fights against her.”
