Staff Reporter.
World No 1 Iga Swiatek took her Rome winning streak to 14 matches with a 6-3, 6-4 success over Donna Vekic on Tuesday.
Swiatek will take on Elena Rybakina in the quarterfinals after coming through the toughest match of her tournament so far.
The quarterfinals will see the reigning Roland Garros champion and the reigning Wimbledon champion square off for the fourth time, and third time this season already.
Though Swiatek won their first meeting in the 2021 Ostrava quarterfinals, Rybakina has won both of their 2023 encounters without dropping a set — indeed, for the loss of just 12 games in total. She knocked Swiatek out of the Australian Open 6-4, 6-4 in the fourth round, then ended the Pole’s Indian Wells title defence 6-2, 6-2 in the semifinals.
This will be their first pro clay-court meeting, but they have played on the surface once at junior level, also in Italy. Rybakina won the 2017 Milan Grade A final 1-6, 7-6(5), 6-3.
Swiatek’s main memory of that match wasn’t the tennis or the result.
“It was [my] first match that was streamed live on the internet,” she said. “It really stressed me out. Rookie mistake. But I was really happy to be in the final. It was like I started to believe more a little bit in myself.”
Both players played down the significance of their history. Swiatek said that she saw herself neither as the underdog nor the favorite.
“I would say for now I don’t have any mindset,” she told press after defeating Vekic. “I would say it’s kind of neutral. I just want to treat this match as any other one. Coming back to my previous matches against Elena, it doesn’t make sense. It was on hard court. I know how I felt. This time I don’t have any expectations. I’m just going to come out and play the best game possible.”
Rybakina is aware that Rome, more than any other venue on tour, is Swiatek’s territory. After her fourth-round defeat of Marketa Vondrousova, she also lowered expectations.
“I think [clay] changes it a lot,” she said. “It’s more rallies, it’s more physical, she has more time, I have more time. I think it’s much different than the hard courts for sure.
“I’m not expecting much. For me, it’s a practice. I’m taking it this way. Hopefully, it will help me perform at the French Open.”
Nonetheless, the Kazakh acknowledged the frisson around what is becoming one of the sport’s most significant young rivalries.
“I’m not thinking about it so much, but of course I see some comments,” she said. “It’s good if [fans] think that way and that it’s entertaining to see us play against each other. It’s a good thing.”