"Swiatek is not going to surprise me anymore" says Aryna Sabalenka ahead of final showdown

Sunday, 24 April 2022 at 08:25

Updated at Friday, 08 November 2024 at 18:34

Sabalenka Aryna Dubai2022 FlorinBaltatoiu

byErik Virostko

Aryna Sabalenka and Iga Swiatek will meet in the final of the 2022 Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in Stuttgart after the Belarusian defeated Paula Badosa in the semifinals.

The first and third-seeded players at the WTA 500 tournament in Stuttgart will meet in the final of the tournament. Thanks to a stunning semi-final performance, Sabalenka prevented the two highest-seeded players from meeting in the final as she defeated No. 2 Badosa, who admitted to feeling the pressure of being a high-ranked player.

After the match, the Belarusian was honest about the match against the Spaniard, admitting that despite struggling early on, she never accepted losing, and that's why she kept fighting back.

"In the beginning, I couldn’t find my rhythm, and then there was like nothing to lose. She was up with a break. I kind of told myself in that game, 'You have to work through it, you have to run and get everything you can, and just put her under pressure in that game.' I did it well and I broke her back."

"That gave me a little bit more power and motivation to keep fighting for this set. And then with every point I played, I was feeling better and better, and I found my rhythm. But it was a tough match. There were a lot of break points for her, for me. It was ups and downs, and I am super happy that I was able to win this one."

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After defeating Badosa and closing a gap to her in the WTA Rankings, Sabalenka will take on Iga Swiatek in the final on Sunday as she will try to improve her H2H statistics against the world number 1.

After winning in their first meeting at the WTA Finals in 2021, Sabalenka lost to Swiatek in the quarterfinals of the 2022 Qatar Open, where the Polish player became a champion.

"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."