Sabalenka, Swiatek set unmissable Grand Slam semifinal clash

"It feels like the first since they have become the 'Big Two' of the WTA,” said Catherine Whitaker on The Tennis Podcast.

"I know it has, at times, been a Big Three, maybe even a Big Four… but let's face it, in terms of the last three years of WTA tennis, it's been those two. Those have been the mainstays at the top and they have been dancing around one another at the Grand Slams.

“We've been due this.”

Added podcast co-host David Law: "It feels just about the ultimate, really, in the sport.

“Because not only is it the two of them, and them having been the dominant players, but it's Swiatek's territory and it's Sabalenka's world No.1 ranking and feeling of dominance.

"Those two colossal forces are colliding, and that is mouth-watering."

‘Sabatek’ duopoly

Before the tournament we reported on the Jannik Sinner-Carlos Alcaraz duopoly at the majors. The Italian and the Spaniard have collected the past five Slam titles between them and remain on track, as world No.1 and No.2, to clash in their first major final.

Sabalenka and Swiatek are the women’s equivalent.

Among active women’s players they own the best winning percentages at Grand Slam tournaments, and no women this decade have reached more major semifinals than either of them.

Since Ash Barty’s retirement just weeks after her Australian Open 2022 triumph, Swiatek and Sabalenka combined to win seven of the next 11 majors.

Year Grand Slam event Champion 2022 Australian Open Barty 2022 Roland Garros SWIATEK 2022 Wimbledon Rybakina 2022 US Open SWIATEK 2023 Australian Open SABALENKA 2023 Roland Garros SWIATEK 2023 Wimbledon Vondrousova 2023 US Open Gauff 2024 Australian Open SABALENKA 2024 Roland Garros SWIATEK 2024 Wimbledon Krejcikova 2024 US Open SABALENKA 2025 Australian Open Keys

Yet they met just once at a Grand Slam event in that span; Swiatek recovered from 4-2 down in the third set of that epic 2022 US Open semifinal, and went on to win the trophy.

Beginning with Roland Garros in 2023, Swiatek and Sabalenka were seeded No.1 and No.2 at seven of the next eight majors, with Wimbledon last year the only outlier.

MUGURUZA ON SABALENKA: “She's just a perfect personality for world No.1”

Those seedings set the stage for Grand Slam final meetings, and twice they came within one point of making them happen.

Sabalenka led Karolina Muchova 5-2 in the third set of their 2023 Roland Garros semifinal, earning match point in the eighth game before the Czech served her way out of trouble and rebounded to win. At AO 2025, Swiatek held a match point against Keys deep in the third set of their semifinal, only for Keys to escape and subsequently stun Sabalenka in the final.

This meeting at the semifinal stage is due to Swiatek’s seeding; she recently dropped from world No.2 to No.5 after failing to defend her Madrid and Rome titles, entering Roland Garros seeded fifth.

Sabalenka the irresistible force

As Swiatek has fallen in the rankings, Sabalenka has become an increasingly dominant world No.1.

In the WTA live rankings she’s more than 4500 points ahead of second-ranked Coco Gauff and this season has already won three titles from six finals, the most recent on clay in Madrid.

She’s been equally imperious at Grand Slam level, not losing before the quarterfinal stage for three years. “That's crazy stats,” Sabalenka smiled when told she had contested her 10th consecutive major quarterfinal against Zheng Qinwen, which she won 7-6(3) 6-3.

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