Aryna Sabalenka is set to face Iga Swiatek once more in a final, and she will change her approach ahead of this meeting.
The Belarusian put together an impressive week of tennis to reach yet another final, her second in as many events. The last event she played before the 2024 Italian Open was the Madrid Open, which saw her make the final, and just like there, she'll face Iga Swiatek in the final.
It's likely the best possible final for the fans, so they'll be glad about it. However, Sabalenka isn't that thrilled to face the Polish player. She suffered a painful loss against her in Madrid, and she doesn't want to repeat that.
To avoid it, Sabalenka plans to change some things in her approach, and she told the media about it.
"Well, definitely if I'm going to get to the point when I'm going to stay there with the match point, I'm going to go a little bit more aggressive. I'll just go. I'll trust myself and go for shots instead of, like, trying to keep in the point, just keep the ball back in. Instead of play safe, I would just go for it."
It's pretty good advice for herself because the Belarusian was very timid last week in Madrid. When she found match points, she sat back, hoping Swiatek would make a mistake, but she didn't.
She saved all three of them and ultimately won the trophy. Had Sabalenka stayed true to her nature and simply gone for it, she might have won the event. However, she certainly would have preferred to lose the point on her own terms.
"Approach? I mean, I think the level is there, the tennis is there, that I got everything to get this win. I just have to focus on myself, I guess, and not rush things, wait for the right shot to finish the point."
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