There are a handful of legendary tennis rivalries—Rafael Nadal versus Roger Federer, Ivan Lendl versus John McEnroe, and Martina Navratilova versus Chris Evert, to name a few. But soon, another duo could enter the history books: Iga Świątek and Aryna Sabalenka.
They’re currently the world’s No.1 (Iga) and No.2 (Aryna) players, making a showdown between the two something to watch. Plus, both players are still in the French Open right now, meaning there’s a chance they could meet up sooner rather than later.
But have Iga Swiatek and Aryna Sabalenka ever played each other? Here’s what we know about their rivalry, plus how it’s gone down so far.
Has Iga Swiatek ever played Aryna Sabalenka?
Yup, Iga and Aryna have played each other before. In fact, they’ve faced each other a lot. They’ve played 11 times in the WTA, most recently at the Rome Open finals in mid-May. (Iga won that battle.)
Who has won more, Iga Swiatek or Aryna Sabalenka?
Iga has won more of those battles, according to the WTA. Aryna clinched three of their matches, while Iga has come out on top eight times. Iga also has more singles titles—21 compared to Aryna’s 14.
In early May’s Madrid Open finals, their close match seriously set the tennis world on fire. While Iga eventually won, she and Aryna each won a set before they duked it out with several match points at the end.
Iga and Aryna motivate each other to get better.
While the two keep facing each other, they’ve spoken highly of each other in the press. “We’ll see about if it’s going to go to history books, because honestly, I don’t think either I or Aryna are focusing on that,” Iga said during a May press conference at the French Open, per the WTA. “We are more focusing on our own journeys. But for sure if you are going to play well, and we are playing well consistently, we will face each other in important matches.”
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Iga also said that Aryna “has been No. 2 for a long time and she has already proven that she can play great tennis.”
Similarly, Aryna has spoken positively about Iga, telling reporters at the French Open that their rivalry is “amazing.”
“She definitely motivates me a lot to get better, and I think I improve so many things just because of her,” she added. “She kind of like pointed on the things I wasn’t good at and motivate me to get better at.”