Iga Swiatek ready for ‘nice challenge’ as she prepares for Elena Rybakina clash
Iga Swiatek described the prospect of facing Elena Rybakina as a “nice challenge” as she prepares to face one of her toughest WTA rivals.
Poland will face Kazakhstan in the semi-finals of the United Cup in Sydney on Saturday, with Swiatek and Rybakina’s clash set to be key in deciding who progresses to the final.
Anticipation is building for the contest between two Grand Slam champions, arguably the biggest encounter of the 2025 WTA season to date.
Rybakina has proven to be one of Swiatek’s toughest rivals, with the Kazakh holding a 4-2 advantage in their head-to-head.
The 25-year-old has been in fine form in the team event so far, with three comprehensive straight-set wins to her name.
Things have been trickier for Swiatek, who overcame a tough group stage test from the Czech Republic’s Karolina Muchova before battling past Britain’s Katie Boulter in a three-set epic on Thursday.
Speaking ahead of the match, Swiatek claimed she was “happy” to face a key rival ahead of the Australian Open – and that her contests so far had prepared her well to take on Rybakina.
She said: “Honestly I’m happy, because it’s a nice challenge, especially before a Grand Slam. Elena likes playing in Australia, so for sure it’s going to be a challenge.
“I think these two matches that I played will help me because I know what I need to do after playing these two matches, and kind of I got through some tough moments. So it’s not going to be so new, like, on the next one.
“But yeah, honestly I didn’t know who I’m even going to play, so obviously I can’t say, like, more, because we’re going to prepare probably tomorrow [Friday] in the evening.”
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Swiatek and Rybakina have not met since the semi-finals of the Stuttgart Open back in April 2024, where the Kazakh prevailed 6-3, 4-6, 6-3 against the two-time defending champion.
Rybakina also prevailed when Swiatek retired injured in the third set of their Italian Open quarter-final in 2023, also defeating the Pole at the Australian Open and in Indian Wells that season.
Swiatek won their first meeting in Ostrava in 2021 and defeated the Kazakh in the Qatar Open final in February 2024.
This clash will prove crucial in the context of the semi-final, with the victorious nation set to face the United States or the Czech Republic in the final on Sunday.
However, the match will also be set against the backdrop of ongoing controversy concerning Rybakina and former coach Stefano Vukov.
After an initial split following the 2024 US Open, the former Wimbledon champion announced on Wednesday that Vukov would return to her entourage.
However, it was revealed on Thursday that Vukov is suspended amid a WTA investigation into a breach of their Code of Conduct, and would not receive accreditation for the Australian Open.
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