Iga Swiatek remains on a collision course to meet Aryna Sabalenka in the final of the Australian Open, reaching the last eight with a dominant display over lucky loser Eva Lys.
The Polish performer is desperate to get back her spot as the number-one ranked player in the world. If she wins the tournament in Melbourne that will become a reality.
Swiatek demolished Emma Raducanu in round three. The Great Britain star had no answer to Swiatek’s brilliance and she was similarly emphatic against German performer Lys on Monday.
It proved a tough end to the year 2024 for Swiatek. With that in mind, she’s going to focus on the tennis this year and a final against Sabalenka would potentially be a superb match.
Iga Swiatek picks best attribute of Aryna Sabalenka
It might be premature but Swiatek has already been quizzed on the brilliance of Sabalenka with the two players comfortably the most in-form stars on the WTA Tour at the moment.
It does appear as though there is mutual respect between the two players. Swiatek will face a couple of tough matches if she’s to reach the final but as a multiple Grand Slam winner, she’s got what it takes.
During her press conference, Swiatek had praise for Sabalenka and even picked out what she thinks is her best attribute.
Swiatek said: “Well, honestly I think we’re the most consistent players on tour, and this is also what the rivalry is about.
“But when we face each other, you know, sometimes, as it was in Cincinnati, it goes to Aryna. Sometimes, like in Rome, it goes to me. It’s not always that we have tight matches, but we do, like Madrid final, like US Open semis.
“So I guess, you know, we’re just both good and feel like we are covering every aspect of the game in terms of the preparation. We’re just really professional and also pushing each other to work harder.
“So yeah, I mean, how does it feel? Like, you have to just be there, like, on point and 100% ready, because playing top player is always hard, so yeah.
“I don’t know. I feel like she has a complete kind of technique, like pretty smooth.
“She’s just solid from every position on the court, even like volleys and stuff that we don’t use, like, that often on singles.
“Yeah, I mean, she has variety, and she can play flat, she can play topspin. Like, basically I would say that Aryna is kind of a complete player.”
Swiatek looks like the player to beat for Australian Open title
Despite boasting five Grand Slam titles, Swiatek has never claimed glory at the Australian Open with her best run being a semi-final in 2022.
Having won the US Open that year, it’s clear that playing on hard courts isn’t a problem for Swiatek and she will be desperate to reach the final this year.
If she does reach the final, she won’t care who she plays but as a lover of tennis the best possible match-up is likely to feature Swiatek and Sabalenka.
Given how much stamina she’s saving with these easy victories, it’s hard to look past Swiatek for the title at the moment and she should be fresh for the latter stages.
Emma Navarro is up next for Swiatek and the number eight seed will naturally provide a stern test for the Polish performer.
With the world number two losing just 11 games in four matches, however, it seems clear who will be the favourite going into that one.
