‘Not Going to Surprise Me’ – Aryna Sabalenka Gears Up for Iga Swiatek Challenge After Thrashing Good Friend Paula Badosa at WTA Stuttgart Open

World No.4, Aryna Sabalenka had been going through a bad patch since the Australian Open this season. However, she found her rhythm back at the Stuttgart Open, in her second event on clay this season. In the semi-final, she beat the second seed, Paula Badosa in straight sets to reach her second consecutive final in Stuttgart. In the title clash, she will lock horns against World no.1, Iga Swiatek. Sabalenka expressed her thoughts about the upcoming final and also on her next opponent after her semifinal win over Badosa.

Aryna Sabalenka feels confident about facing Iga Swiatek in the final of the Stuttgart Open

In their previous matchup at the Qatar Open, Swiatek recorded a comprehensive 6-2, 6-3 victory against Sabalenka in their quarterfinal clash. Since then, Swiatek has been enjoying a dream run on the tour, sweeping three back-to-back Masters 1000 titles on the tour.

Speaking about their previous meeting, Sabalenka said, “That [Doha] match surprised me because [Swiatek] played super fast and super aggressive. In that match I was surprised in every point she was making.”

“Now as she won three titles in a row, that’s not going to surprise me. I’ll be ready for this game, and I’ll be ready for a fight, and the winners she’s going to make are not going to surprise me. I think mentally that’s going to give me a little power to compete, no matter what,” Sabalenka further said, as she is feeling confident about her chances against Swiatek. 

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Meanwhile, this is Sabalenka’s second Stuttgart final in a row. Last year, she lost to Ashleigh Barty. However, she should be hoping for a different result this time around as she eyes her 11th singles title on the WTA tour At the same time, Swiatek is aiming for her 4th consecutive title and is on a 22-match winning streak that began in Doha.

Who will win the final?

Incidentally, in her semifinal, Swiatek lost her first set after winning 28 consecutive sets on the tour. Against Liudmila Samsonova, Swiatek dropped the opening set but bounced back to win the next two to book a place in the fourth consecutive final this season. After 3 hours and 3 minutes, she beat the Samsonova 6-7,6-4,7-5. 

In the other semi-final, Sabalenka made a great comeback against Paula Badosa after going down early in the first set. In the end, Sabalenka prevailed over the Spaniard in straight sets, 7-6,6-4. 

Swiatek should start as a favorite to win this match, as she is on an incredible winning streak at the moment. However, Sabalenka has the potential to surprise her opponent with her aggressive style of tennis. 

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Can Sabalenka snap Swiatek’s 22-match winning streak? Let us know in the comments.