“It’s just my favorite tournament, my favorite surface,” said Iga Swiatek speaking to Roland Garros magazine. It isn’t hard to see why – Swiatek and the French Open have a different love story. A four-time champion here, the Pole looks right at home on the red dirt of Roland Garros. Taking her winning streak in Paris to 26 matches, Swiatek defeated Elina Svitolina in the quarterfinal in straight sets 6-1, 7-5. Although she hasn’t looked at her fluid best earlier in the tournament, Swiatek dominated her match against Svitolina right from the word go to seal an easy win. As the path gets tougher for her ahead, Swiatek earned the praise of Coco Gauff’s ex-coach, Brad Gilbert.

In the fourth round, Swiatek had a come-from-behind victory over Elena Rybakina. She lost the first set there but kept her composure and snatched the next two sets to keep her dream of defending the French Open crown alive. However, she found her groove at the right time ahead of a tough road, and as a result, Gilbert lauded her effort.

Taking to his official Twitter handle, Gauff’s former coach revealed, “strong effort from Iga Pop straight setting double Lina, best she has looked all tournament now in the business end @rolandgarros vs Sable should be very interesting on Thursday.”

Iga Swiatek received a tough bracket at Roland Garros and will now run into the top seed, Aryna Sabalenka, in the semifinal. With Swiatek peaking just at the right time, it will no doubt be a gripping match to watch for the fans, with Sabalenka consistently performing at the top. The queen of clay vs. the best women’s power hitter. Who will come out on top? Even with a dominating performance from Swiatek in the quarters, she is aiming to better her performance against Sabalenka.

During an interview, she said, “I should have had better intensity in the beginning of the second set. When I saw my intensity go low I got it high again. I am happy I did it at the end of the set. Against Aryna it is always a challenge. She has a game for every surface. I have to do the work, be brave with my shots and go for it. She is having a great season. I will not lie. It will be a tough match but am happy for the challenge.”

Like Iga Swiatek, Sabalenka isn’t taking things lightly. Ahead of the blockbuster encounter, she made a candid revelation about their relationship.

Aryna Sabalenka explains her relationship with Iga Swiatek

The two have been long-time rivals and have often found each other at the business end of the tournaments. In the 12 matches played between the two, Iga Swiatek enjoys an 8-4 lead over Aryna Sabalenka. Despite the rivalry on the court, the two share a friendly relationship off the court. In an interview recently, Sabalenka talked about her bond with her rival.

She said, “Before it wasn’t any communication, any practices with her, but now we are getting better. We get along better and we practice more often and we know each other quite well. I think everything started when I just came to her and asked to do a TikTok in Riyadh. We just did, like, a little dance together. Since that, we were like ‘OK, maybe we can communicate, we can be good to each other, we can practice sometimes’. So I think that was the first step to a better relationship.”

Nonetheless, all this will be kept aside when the two face each other in the Roland Garros quarterfinal. Iga Swiatek or Aryna Sabalenka: Who do you think will emerge victorious in this enthralling battle? Let us know your views in the comments below.