The match-up the French Open had been waiting for came before the tournament began: Iga Swiatek and Aryna Sabalenka, the two rivals who have grappled over the World No 1 position for the past three years, met on the practice courts at Roland Garros and played a set. Two weeks later, they will meet again in the semi-finals, a blockbuster booked between the defending champion Swiatek and the biggest contender for her throne, the top seed Sabalenka. With eight grand slam titles between them, it will be the first time they have met at this level since the 2022 US Open.
Swiatek, who has five of those grand slam titles to Sabalenka’s three, kept her cards close to her chest when discussing their practice session on the eve of Roland Garros. Sabalenka was more revealing as she opened up on their relationship and how it had become warmer since collaborating on a TikTok at last year’s WTA Finals in Riyadh. It had been icy. “Before it wasn't any communication, any practices with her,” Sabalenka said. “But now we are getting better, we get along better, and we practice more often. We know each other quite well.”
