Iga Swiatek expecting ‘tough battle’ in blockbuster Qatar Open quarterfinal against Elena Rybakina after surviving scare

Iga Swiatek and Elena Rybakina will face each other for the eighth time, in what will be the rematch of last year's Qatar Open final.

Iga Swiatek expecting ‘tough battle’ in blockbuster Qatar Open quarterfinal against Elena Rybakina after surviving scare

Elena Rybakina, Iga Swiatek (Images via X)

Iga Swiatek is chasing history at the Qatar Open as she’s bidding to become the second woman since 2000 to win a tournament four times in a row. World No.1 Aryna Sabalenka and World No.3 Coco Gauff‘s exit made her quest easier but she passed a tricky fourth-round test from Linda Noskova.

The Czech ace was the reason behind Swiatek’s Australian Open exit last year. Swiatek, after breezing past Maria Sakkari in Doha, dropped the first set against Noskova but with difficulties, she bounced back to claim the other two to move into the quarterfinals.

YouTube video

While Swiatek had battled throughout the match, Elena Rybakina, last year’s Qatar Open runner-up, too faced some difficulties in the first set. But she made a quick comeback to secure an emphatic win over Rebecca Sramkova to set up a blockbuster clash with Swiatek in the last eight.

Elena is a really experienced player and one that you need to be 100% against if you want to win. For sure, I’ll use my experience and also the last match we played. It’s good to watch, but it’s not going to be easy, it’s going to be a tough battle.

Iga Swiatek said during her on-court interview

Swiatek is way ahead in the head-to-head record over her top 10 rivals but over World No.7 Rybakina, she is 3-4. The Pole reduced the gap with her win over the Kazakh ace in the semifinal of this year’s United Cup.

Iga Swiatek determined to challenge mental health taboo

Tennis is considered a lonely sport and like many players, Iga Swiatek too suffers from mental health problems. She has often opened up about the challenges she encounters, and did not shy away from confessing that the heavy tennis schedule too took a toll on her health.

Iga Swiatek
Iga Swiatek (via X)

Swiatek is also aware of the problems social media poses. She wants the people, including the school kids to receive help if they struggle with it often.

It’s been an important topic over the past years. And in the future, for sure, it will be- also with us constantly being on social media where people judge us and they comment stuff that they wouldn’t really say to our face. This is also something that I think kids at school struggle with.

Iga Swiatek told The Athletic

Swiatek understands what it means to have a clear state of mind and has been working with psychologists. Polish psychologist Daria Abramowicz, who has been working with Swiatek since 2019 is a crucial part of her team.