‘I’m on a different level right now,’ Iga Swiatek issues a cold warning to Naomi Osaka ahead of their title clash at Miami

‘I’m on a different level right now,’ Iga Swiatek issues a cold warning to Naomi Osaka ahead of their title clash at Miami

Naomi Osaka and Iga Swiatek

Iga Swiatek is currently the best player on tour and after Ash Barty’s retirement, she is the new World No.1. She is currently riding on a 16-match winning streak and will be aiming to complete the Sunshine Double. She defeated American Jessica Pegula in the semifinal in straight sets 6-2,7-5 to book a date with Naomi Osaka.

Swiatek is the 4th player in tennis history to win 16+ consecutive matches at WTA 1000 events. The last player to do so was Serena Williams, who won 26 between 2013 Miami-Cincinnati. If the Pole beats Osaka, she will be tied at the 3rd spot with Victoria Azarenka who won 17 matches between 2012 Tokyo-2013 Madrid.

After the match, Swiatek spoke about Osaka and said that she knew she was going to come back at the highest level soon. She also recalled their first meeting back in 2019 where she lost but said that she’s a much better player right now.

“I’m pretty glad that she’s doing better. I knew she’s gonna be back and it was just a matter of time because she’s a great tennis player. Basically, my second match on WTA when I felt like I’m doing better, kind of on a breakthrough, was against her and even though I lost, it inspired me to work harder because she was No.1 back then. Right now, I feel like I’m on a different level to compete on the same level. We’ll see how it goes and I’m really excited,” she said.

A lot at stake for both Naomi Osaka and Iga Swiatek

Iga Swiatek, Naomi Osaka
Naomi Osaka and Iga Swiatek

This will be Swiatek’s second straight tour final while Osaka will be playing a tour final after more than a year. Both Osaka (6-0) and Swiatek (4-0) are undefeated in the big finals (grand slams and WTA 1000) and will want to keep their streak alive. The Pole, who will become the new World No.1 in a couple of days, will start as the favorite but given Osaka’s big match temperament, fans are in for a thriller.

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