Aryna Sabalenka ensures her rivalry with Iga Swiatek stays as lively as ever, keeping the competition on a knife’s edge. Sabalenka rose to the No. 2 ranking a couple of days back, as she claimed her first Cincinnati Open title. While Swiatek continues to occupy the top spot in the WTA rankings, the former World No. 1 Chris Evert reckons the modern-day rivalries between Swiatek, Sabalenka, and Coco Gauff will be intense and might leave behind the rivalry between the Williams sisters, Serena and Venus.

The rivalry between Serena and Venus Williams was one of the most iconic and fascinating rivalries in tennis history. As sisters, they had an unbreakable bond, yet their battles on the court were nothing short of intense. However, in Evert’s opinion, something was missing in the rivalry between the Williams sisters, and they weren’t able to leave as much of a mark as rivals, as they could have.

Ahead of the US Open, Chris Evert presented a comparative analysis of the rivalries. She stated, “When you have two players that are playing the same type of game, I don’t think Venus and Serena really made that mark because they both played exactly the same. Right now, when you look at Iga and Sabalenka, and Coco is still there in the mix, I think two of those three we can get a good rivalry out of.” 

Further, Evert added, “I feel like tennis has been at its peak form when there’s been a great rivalry or when there’s been a great dominance of a player, like when Serena Williams dominated. Those two, I think, are going to get more eyeballs than the situation now where there’s so many good players, but there’s not that many rivalries and nobody’s really dominating.” 

When Aryna Sabalenka and Iga Swiatek first faced each other in the Guadalajara WTA Finals, Sabalenka prevailed in an exciting three-set encounter. Since then, Swiatek has won eight of their ten meetings, greatly benefiting from the rivalry. Even though the score has always been lopsided, their encounters have been quite entertaining.

Reflecting on their rivalry, Swiatek remarked during media day at Roland Garros, “We’ll see if it goes into the history books, but honestly, I don’t think either Aryna or I are focusing on that.” Sabalenka, on the other hand, also had something to say about their growing rivalry. The Belarusian said, “I think that’s amazing the rivalry we are having with Iga. She definitely motivates me a lot to get better, and I think I improve so many things just because of her. She kind of like pointed on the things I wasn’t good at and motivate me to get better at.” 

Sabalenka has, however, previously emphasized that her focus extends beyond just her rivalry with Iga Swiatek.

Elena Rybakina and Coco Gauff give Aryna Sabalenka ‘extra motivation’ 

Speaking candidly with the media in the past, Aryna Sabalenka admitted that her rivalry with Iga Swiatek helped in the mutual growth of the two players, but she also talked about Elena Rybakina and Coco Gauff, highlighting that those two players are also capable of forming intense rivalries and it’s only going to serve as a source of motivation for all four of them.

“The duel we are creating is fantastic,” Sabalenka said, “but we are not alone since Cori and Elena also fight for the maximum goals. Rivalries like this help me to be better every day and give me extra motivation. I hope we continue to find each other in the last rounds of big tournaments.”

Sabalenka reached the finals in Cincinnati for the first time with a pivotal victory over Swiatek, ending the five-time Grand Slam winner’s impressive 15-match winning streak. This win not only marked a significant milestone in the Belarusian’s career but also served as sweet retribution for her previous losses in the finals at Madrid and Rome.