Kazakhstan’s Elena Rybakina will face the reigning world number one and defending champion Iga Swiatek of Poland at the Internazionali BNL d’Italia 2023 quarterfinals on Wednesday, May 17th.
This will be the third meeting of the tennis stars this season. Rybakina has an upper hand in this record, winning their encounters in Melbourne and Indian Wells. Both of these matches were contested on hardcourts. However, Swiatek has posted remarkable claycourt stats so far, defending the title in Stuttgart and reaching the final in Madrid a week ago. As the defending champion in Rome, she’s also a favorite leading to this match.
“I think [clay] changes it a lot,” Elena Rybakina said about the upcoming match following her victory over Marketa Vondrousova. “It’s more rallies, it’s more physical, she has more time, I have more time. I think it’s much different than the hard courts for sure.
“I’m not expecting much. For me, it’s a practice. I’m taking it this way. Hopefully, it will help me perform at the French Open.”
As for her thoughts about the budding rivalry amongst the current bests in women’s tennis:
“I’m not thinking about it so much, but of course I see some comments,” she said. “It’s good if [fans] think that way and that it’s entertaining to see us play against each other. It’s a good thing.”
Head to Head Record: Elena Rybakina vs Iga Swiatek
2023 BNP Paribas Open SF – Rybakina def Swiatek 6-2, 6-2
2023 Australian Open 4th Round – Rybakina def Swiatek 6-4, 6-4
2021 Ostrava Open QF – Swiatek def Rybakina 7-6, 6-2
