Elena Rybakina praises Iga Swiatek for her results over the last two season calling her one of the toughest opponents on the Tour

Elena Rybakina applauds Iga Swiatek's talent and consistency.

Elena Rybakina praises Iga Swiatek for her results over the last two season calling her one of the toughest opponents on the Tour

Elena Rybakina (L) and Iga Swiatek (R) (Credits:The Sports Daily)

Recently, world no. 5 Elena Rybakina praised her contemporary and world no. 2 Iga Swiatek. The Kazakh player called her one of the “toughest opponents” on tour.

In a recent interview, Rybakina applauded Swiatek’s talent and consistency. She acknowledged that playing against her proves to be demanding as she chases every point.

“She’s a really tough opponent. I know every point is going to be difficult because she’s fighting and running a lot. She’s so consistent throughout the year. Last year and even now I think it was great results. Just a tough opponent,” she said.

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The duo has locked horns four times with a head-to-head score of 3-1. Their most recent clash was at the 2023 Rome Open, where Swiatek retired after losing the second set on a tiebreak.

Iga Swiatek has had a tumultuous journey this season on the WTA tour. Swiatek began her 2023 season as the top-ranked player. The Polish star started her season strong with a semi-final run in the United Cup. She defended her French Open title and gained her fourth career Grand Slam title. However, she got knocked out in the other three Grand Slams in the fourth round. She lost to Rybakina, at the Australian Open this year and faced a similar fate at the US Open, where Jelena Ostapenko defeated her. The 22-year-old player had to give up her title of World No. 1 to Russian player Aryna Sabalenka.

However, she made a comeback recently by winning the WTA-1000 event at the China Open held in Beijing against Liudmila Samsonova in straight sets.

Also Read: Carlos Alcaraz admits to squandering his chance to finish as the World No. 1 ahead of Novak Djokovic following early exit from the Shanghai Masters

Elena Rybakina breaks the record for most aces in WTA 1000 events

Elena Rybakina recently broke the record for shooting the most aces in a WTA 1000 event in a single calendar year. She served a total of 235 aces in the season of 2023.

Elena Rybakina
Elena Rybakina (Credits: The Guardian)

The 24-year-old surpassed Karolina Pliskova’s total of 234, which she earned in 2019 and has since not broken. It is important to note that only two women—Serena Williams (233) and Karolina Pliskova (234)—have crossed the 230 mark.

Rybakina had a great run at the China Open, where she reached the semi-finals but was stopped by Liudmila Samsonova. She served a surprising total of 38 aces during the course of the tournament. Her serve has helped her gain victories at the Indian Open and the Rome Open.

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