"I hope it's going to be a great battle": Aryna Sabalenka 'eager' for Iga Swiatek clash in Cincinnati Open

Belarus’ tennis star Aryna Sabalenka has stated that she is ‘eager’ to face the world number one Iga Swiatek in the semifinal of the Cincinnati Open. The 26-year-old, who is often regarded as one of the best players in women’s tennis currently, cemented her spot in the last four of the competition after beating Russia’s Liudmila Samsonova in the quarterfinal in straight sets with a score of 6-3, 6-2.

Sabalenka is set to face Swiatek, who booked her spot in the semifinal after beating Russia’s young tennis sensation Mirra Andreeva in the last-eight clash with a score of 4-6, 6-3, 7-5. Talking ahead of the contest, Sabalenka, while speaking to the Tennis Channel, expressed excitement about facing arguably the best player in the world. She also highlighted the previous encounters and how the two always produced some brilliant tennis for fans all over the world.

“We had a lot of great battles in the past and it's always great fight with eager,” she said. “I really like it no matter what the result is. I always enjoy playing against her and that's a tough challenge but I really I'm really happy that we made it to the semis and we're going to play one more time and I hope it's going to be a great battle.”

It will be the 12th meeting between the two players in professional tennis. In the previous 11 meetings, Swiatek has a clear edge as she won on eight occasions and suffered just three defeats. Their most recent meeting was during the final of the Rome Masters where the Warsaw-born star emerged victorious in straight sets with a score of 6-2, 6-3. Sabalenka’s last win against Swiatek came in the final of the Madrid Open in 2023 where she came out on top with a score of 6-3, 3-6, 6-3.