“Of course I want to be No. 1,” Aryna Sabalenka aiming to topple Iga Swiatek from the World No 1 spot
Aryna Sabalenka defeats Shelby Rogers to advance into the third round of the Miami Open.
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Swiatek and Sabalenka
With her sights set on the world No.1 ranking, Aryna Sabalenka advanced to the third round of the Miami Open after a convincing 6-4 6-3 win over Shelby Rogers on Friday. Sabalenka, a 24-year-old player from Belarus, acknowledged her desire to close the gap on Iga Swiatek in the WTA rankings. Swiatek’s withdrawal from the tournament due to injury has made Sabalenka the top-ranked player in the draw.
Aryna Sabalenka acknowledges that the achievements of her rival Iga Swiatek have had a positive impact on her own game as she pursues the world No.1 ranking. Swiatek was forced to withdraw from the tournament due to a rib injury. Sabalenka sees this as an opportunity to close the significant 3,235-point gap between herself and the Polish star in WTA rankings. If Sabalenka succeeds in Miami, she will be able to narrow the gap between herself and Swiatek.
According to the WTA tennis, Sabalenka revealed her aim and said, “Of course I want to be No.1. Of course I want to win more Grand Slams, which is normal. I think every one of us, everyone wants to do that. Probably that’s why it helped me to stay focused and helped me to keep working and just keep doing my best every day.”
In their most recent encounter at the WTA Finals in November, Aryna Sabalenka emerged victorious over her rival Iga Swiatek after a thrilling three-set match, allowing her to advance to the final. While Swiatek had won their previous four matches, the 24-year-old Sabalenka acknowledged that she has gained valuable insights from past encounters.
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Aryna Sabalenka inches closer to the Miami Open title
The top seed secured another convincing victory here in Miami and advanced to the third round. She will be playing against the 31st seed, Marie Bouzková later tomorrow. The Belarusian star has had some remarkable runs in recent times. She lost just two matches this season and aims to continue her good run.
She won the Australian Open and the Adelaide International earlier this season. However, she fell just short of winning the title at the Indian Wells a week ago. Speaking about the current World No.1, Sabalenka said, “You always have to keep improving, keep learning, because a lot of young players are coming. For example, Swiatek, she’s moving better. So the first matches I played against her, I felt like physically I’m not ready.”
With the in-form Swiatek missing from the Miami Open, it will be a good chance for World No.2 and Elena Rybakina to once again meet in the finals. The duo have already met twice this season in two finals and won one each. Fans and experts will be expecting these two to compete in the finals yet again considering the form they are in.
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Santhosh Tenneti
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