Aryna Sabalenka is longing for a challenge worth sweating for. The Belarusian is enjoying a stellar season so far. Naturally, bagging two Grand Slam titles does that. Subsequently, Sabalenka is looking to level up. Fresh off her US Open glory, the 26-year-old has arrived in Wuhan with an agenda. She is vying to snatch the World No. 1 spot from arch-rival Iga Swiatek. To much amazement, Swiatek’s recent absence from the tour elicited Sabalenka to direct kind words toward the former.

During a presser in Wuhan, Sabalenka was asked if she missed Swiatek’s direct challenge during their recent commitments on the tour. The top seed highlighted that she relishes the Pole’s formidable battles and hopes to lock horns with her in the season’s ultimate decider for the year-end World No. 1 race, the WTA Finals in Abu Dhabi. Moreover, Sabalenka also wished for a constructive solution to Swiatek’s ongoing coaching split saga. Both players have clashed 12 times on WTA, with the Pole leading Sabalenka 8-4 in their head-to-head tally.

Sabalenka said, “I love having this competition and I love seeing [Swiatek] in the draw. I love to, like, get to the finals and face her in the finals. It’s always great battles. I always enjoy fights against her  It’s always great battles. I always enjoy fights against her. I hope she’ll figure out the coach situation and she’ll be back in the Finals in her best shape. Hopefully, we can play against each other there in the Finals, yeah, put it into a fight for world No. 1. I’m trying to focus on myself and make sure that I play my best tennis and make sure I still have this opportunity to become world No. 1 at the end of the year.”

For the unversed, Swiatek announced her shocking split with Tomasz Wiktorowski as a coach. Despite enjoying a highly successful partnership, wherein she bagged four Grand Slam titles under the Polish coach’s tutelage, the duo parted ways amicably. Swiatek confirmed the update with a statement that read: “Coach Wiktorowski joined my team for 3 seasons when I strongly needed changes and a fresh approach to my game. His experience, analytical and strategic attitude, and enormous knowledge about tennis helped us to achieve things I’ve never dreamed of.” Moreover, her decision to hunt for a fresh coach was later validated by an expert.

Expert identifies scope for major improvement following Iga Swiatek’s coaching split

Polish superstar Iga Swiatek has sustained underwhelming results outside of the French Open. While her on-court dominance knows no bounds, there’s no denying that the Pole is in dire need of a ‘different pair of eyes’. Following her coaching split, the Austrian pro Barbara Schett reserved a few words to highlight improvement aesthetics for Swiatek. Furthermore, she noted that the Pole will look to mark her domain outside of the clay courts with a new coach aiding her.

Schett told Eurosport: “She still wants to develop her game outside of clay. She is looking for something different, an outside look because at this level, every % counts. She needs a different pair of eyes and different stimulations.”

For now, Swiatek will recoup and train for her upcoming adventure on the tour. With no new coach in sight, the Pole will hope to introduce a valuable addition to her coaching camp ahead of her WTA Finals campaign.