“I Felt Really Proud of Myself”: Iga Swiatek Explains Why She Failed Miserably at Last Year’s WTA Finals Ahead of Aryna Sabalenka Showdown

Iga Swiatek has cruised to the semifinals of the WTA Finals tournament in Cancun, Mexico. The World No.2 is set to face the World No.1 Aryna Sabalenka in what promises to be a thrilling clash. Ahead of the clash, Swiatek talked about her poor campaign at the WTA Finals last year. The Polish star believes she is more experienced this time to play in such a high-pressure situation.

Swiatek reached the semifinals of the WTA Finals in 2022 as well, where she was beaten by Aryna Sabalenka in three sets. The Pole couldn’t put up a strong fight against Sabalenka and lost the final set 1-6, which prompted questions about her mentality.

Now, with the duo set to meet each other again, Iga Swiatek is keen to level things up this time around. When talking about their clash from the WTA Finals last year, Swiatek was quick to admit she was not fully ready for the match. The 22-year-old further added that she is more experienced now and handles tough situations better.

“I’m just gonna be ready and see what the wind is gonna look like and what’s gonna happen on court… This time I will use my experience of being in the WTA Finals. Last year when I got out of my group, it felt like I was almost at the end of the tournament and I felt really proud of myself that I just got out of the group. This year it feels like now it’s kind of starting. So it’s a bit different and I for sure learned my lesson.”

Swiatek was the World No.1 for a brief period of time before Sabalenka snatched the top ranking back. The Pole will be hoping to get one over Sabalenka to make the final of the WTA Finals for the first time in her career.

Iga Swiatek looks the favorite to win WTA Finals

Iga Swiatek has been in great form at the WTA Finals in Mexico. The Polish star has beaten Marketa Vondrousova, Coco Gauff and Ons Javeur in straight sets to qualify for the semi-finals. These wins included comprehensive wins against top opponents. Swiatek even served Gauff a bagel in one of the sets.

Now, all eyes will be on Swiatek to see how she responds to the challenge of facing the world number one. Aryna Sabalenka will be aware of the threat that the 22-year-old can pose. Swiatek leads their head to head record by 5-3.