Elena Rybakina has hailed Iga Swiatek’s “unbelievable” on-court intensity ahead of their blockbuster clash at the French Open.
Twelfth seed Rybakina and fifth seed Swiatek, the defending Roland Garros champion, will meet on Sunday in arguably the pick of the round-four match-ups in the women’s draw.
It will be the second time the pair have met in the fourth round of a major tournament, with Rybakina having beaten Swiatek at this stage of the 2023 Australian Open, ultimately going on to reach the final.
The pair split their head-to-head 4-4, and the Kazakh has had some significant success against Swiatek in the past, winning both their meetings on clay – the surface the Pole has dominated on.
However, one of those wins came via retirement at the Italian Open in 2023, while the other came on the indoor clay of Stuttgart in 2024, where conditions differ dramatically from Roland Garros.
Swiatek is on a 24-match win streak at the French Open and has won the title in four of the past five years, with a 38-2 win-loss record at the event.
Speaking ahead of the contest, Rybakina was under no illusions about the challenge she faces in Paris.
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“Of course, she is very comfortable in this court. But I think every day every match is different,” said Rybakina.
“Obviously, I would try to focus on myself mostly. We played so many times, so I know what to do. And we will see how it goes, but definitely I will do my best.
“It’s tough to play against Iga on clay. She spins the ball really well, and she has unbelievable intensity on the court. So, it is not easy.
“But I feel like Stuttgart is special tournament because it’s indoor, and the clay is also different. In Rome, it was another condition, so, I cannot take it everything is the same.
“It’s a tough opponent and she plays really well. She moves really well on the court. So it’s going to be a difficult one.”
Both Rybakina and Swiatek have faced significant challenges on and off court in recent months, though the Pole is widely considered the favourite for this match heading in.
The Pole has dropped to world No 5 in the WTA Rankings and has not reached a WTA Tour final since beating Jasmine Paolini to claim her third straight French Open title last June.
However, Swiatek is yet to drop a set across her opening three matches at the tournament in 2025, and has won her two matches against Rybakina this season.
The five-time Grand Slam champion defeated Rybakina at the United Cup in January, before also beating the Kazakh at the Qatar Open the following month.
Former Wimbledon champion Rybakina has dropped outside the top-10 of the rankings in recent months, after battling with multiple injuries and illness concerns over the past 15 months.
The 25-year-old has also been embroiled in a significant controversy concerning coach Stefano Vukov, who is currently suspended by the WTA and is banned from entering tournament sites.
Rybakina came into the French Open after winning her ninth WTA title at the Strasbourg International last week, her first tour title in over a year.
The Kazakh produced arguably her best performance of the tournament to date in the third round, dispatching 21st seed and former champion Jelena Ostapenko in straight sets.
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