“If I focus on winning against Swiatek, I’ll stay in the past”

In the 14th head-to-head of the rivalry between Aryna Sabalenka And I’m going to Swiatekgave the Belarusian an important signal and dominated the WTA No. 1 in the semi-finals of the Cincinnati Open.

Aryna, who returned to the tour earlier this month after some physical problems, now seems to be in top condition. She qualified for the final of the North American tournament without losing a single set to her opponents.

At the end of the challenge match against the Polish Sabalenka wisely said that this victory is now only in the past. She is already focused on the final of Cincinnati and the US Open.

“It was a brilliant performance from me. But I just want to focus on the moment and play my best tennis every time I step on court. I try to stay calm, confident and aggressive on court. That definitely gave me a lot of confidence going into the US Open. But that’s already in the past, if I focus on this victory, it will remain in the past. I’m really happy with the victory,” she said.

About the moment when Iga Swiatek saved all those match points, Aryna analyzed: “I kept saying to myself: She is the world number 1. She keeps fighting and trying. You have to stay aggressive. You have to put pressure on her. You have to play your tennis and try. That was my mentality in the difficult moments.

That was definitely the hardest moment of the match. When I’m in the zone, what am I thinking? There are no thoughts. Just about tennis. About the next ball coming. Just about hitting and trying to make the right decisions. You don’t have anything in your head,” she explained.

Sabalenka d. Swiatek 6-3 6-3 at Cincinnati

10 match points later.

Aryna had to work for this until the very last moment.

✅5th win over a world number 1
✅4th top 10 win of the year
✅9th WTA 1000 final

Growing confidence.

Aryna roars into the finale.

🐅 photo.twitter.com/tcxZrVFqTx

— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) August 18, 2024