The most anticipated women's singles match at the Australian Open is here! Rybakina talks about facing Swiatek: stay aggressive

Rybakina is playing exceptionally well, having comfortably won all her matches at the Australian Open in straight sets up to now. Yet, her upcoming adversary is formidable as she prepares to meet Swiatek in the quarterfinals. This marks their 12th encounter, with Swiatek holding a 6-5 advantage, but Rybakina triumphed over her at last year's WTA Finals, eventually securing the championship. Nevertheless, Rybakina is fully aware that she must stay vigilant.

On Monday, Rybakina easily defeated Elise Mertens in 1 hour and 17 minutes with a score of 6-1, 6-3 to advance smoothly. Her stats were impressive: 10 aces, converting 4 of 9 break points, 30 points won on return, and holding serve flawlessly in 8 service games. But against Swiatek, she knows this quarterfinal will be no easy battle.

“We've played many times before,” Rybakina said in a media interview. “I know I have to keep playing aggressively and focus on my game. We've faced each other here before, and I remember it was very hot and the ball was moving fast. Let's see how the conditions are this time and who comes out on top. For me, the key is serving well and staying on the attack. We'll wait and see the outcome.”

Rybakina is very familiar with Melbourne; she reached the Australian Open final in 2023 but lost to the then 5th seed Sabalenka, who went on to win back-to-back titles. Last year, she made it to the fourth round before being eliminated by eventual champion Keys. This year, she returns with stronger determination and better form.

Her path to the quarters has been smooth, defeating Juvan, Gasanova, Valentova, and 21st seed Mertens. Her performance shines not only in serving but also in powerful returns. Mertens’ first serve percentage was only 47%, giving Rybakina more chances to attack her second serve mercilessly.

The fifth seed’s serving stats further demonstrate her strong play. She had a 66% first serve success rate (32/49), winning 72% of those points (23/32). She recorded 10 aces, 1 double fault, 32 winners, and 22 unforced errors. She converted 4 of 9 break points successfully.

Therefore, world No. 2 Swiatek could face a tough challenge. When asked how she plans to improve her head-to-head record against Rybakina in the quarterfinal, Swiatek candidly said, “I wouldn’t say the head-to-head is very important because even when one of us is winning, our matches are always close. It doesn’t matter; there’s no need to overanalyze who won the last match or the ones before. Each match is a different story.”

“She’s a strong opponent every time we play, and her tennis is definitely excellent. I need to be 100% ready to face the challenge, use my experience, and also learn from previous matches,” Swiatek added.

Swiatek’s best results at Melbourne Park are two semifinal appearances, in 2019 and last year. She has yet to reach the final but is aiming to win her first Australian Open title this time, which would complete her career Grand Slam. The Polish player already holds six major titles: four French Opens, and one each at the US Open and Wimbledon.

However, as both players have mentioned, the outcome of this match remains uncertain. Will Rybakina be able to defeat Swiatek again and have a shot at winning her second Grand Slam title?(Source: Tennis Home, Author: Spark)