Aryna Sabalenka 'feels so sorry' for French Open ace and vows to be nicer than Iga Swiatek
Aryna Sabalenka was keeping an eye on Iga Swiatek when the world No. 1 won her French Open match in 40 minutes.
Aryna Sabalenka admitted she felt “so sorry” after watching Anastasia Potapova lose her fourth-round match at the French Open in just 40 minutes.
Iga Swiatek dropped 10 points in the entire match as she stormed through 6-0 6-0 - the fifth double-bagel win of her career.
Sabalenka watched the match on her day off and originally compared herself to the world No. 1. But she changed her mind and says she wants to be “nicer” to her opponents.
Related articles
Swiatek was in blistering form as she walked off court before midday on Sunday, making light work of world No. 41 Potapova. The reigning French Open champion dropped three points on her own serve as she got the job done in 40 minutes.
One of her biggest rivals, Sabalenka, was keeping up with the match from afar. The world No. 2 was left empathising with Potapova, who could do nothing but watch Swiatek dominate.
Speaking after her own fourth-round win, Sabalenka said: “I was watching that match actually, and I was like, oh, wow, that's just another level that's so intense, and I felt so sorry to Anastasia because it was just too good from Iga.”
Our community members are treated to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. You can check out at any time. Read our Privacy Policy
The two-time Australian Open champion initially questioned why she couldn’t be as dominant but she is happy to do things her way and give her opponents less of a hard time. “I was stopping myself of thinking to try to do the same, because you can get really crazy with that,” she continued.
“I was, like, okay, no, Aryna. Just focus on yourself. You don't have to do better than her. It's okay. That's just her world like these bagels. This is something about Iga. Just leave it for her. I will be nicer to my opponent.”
Sabalenka and Swiatek are still on a collision course to meet in the final. They have already contested the championship matches in Madrid and Rome during the clay season, with the world No. 1 coming out on top on both occasions.
Don't miss...
Billionaire tennis star Navarro dumped out of French Open and left red-faced [REPORT]
Dimitrov sticks neck out for French Open rival that tried to get umpire removed [REACTION]
Stefanos Tsitsipas fires warning to Carlos Alcaraz after being taunted by rival [PREVIEW]
When she lost in Rome, the Belarusian said she wanted to get Swiatek back at Roland Garros. And earlier in the week, Sabalenka addressed a potential rematch in Saturday’s final. “I have been just joking kind of over there, but if we're going to get to the point that we have to play each other here, then I was just kidding,” she explained.
“But anyways, it's a tough battle against her. Like going to the match, you never know how it's gonna end, you know. It's kind of like 50/50. It's a tough challenge for me, but as I always say, tough challenges, I like it. I'm ready to accept that and I'm ready to do my best to get that win. But, I mean, it's far away from this day, you know. I am just trying to focus on each game. If we get to the point, I'll try my best.”
