Swiatek prevailed despite the rain delay, reaching her third straight Internazionali BNL d’Italia and inching closer to a third title win.
“Donna is an experienced player and can play really well on most surfaces. She put on a lot of pressure but I’m happy to handle it and come through,” Swiatek said of her opponent.
She will next go up against Rybakina who has already beaten her twice this season – she acknowledges that it will not be an easy feat, saying:
“It is not going to be easy, she is in great shape this season, it will be challenging. But I’m ready for it and comfortable on clay.”
Although Swiatek did win the first of their three meetings, Rybakina has won the last two.
This will also be the first time they are playing on a clay court together as pros. They had previously played as juniors in 2017 at the Milan Grade A final. Rybakina won that one as well.
Swiatek remembers it saying: “It was [my] first match that was streamed live on the internet.”
“It really stressed me out. Rookie mistake. But I was really happy to be in the final. It was like I started to believe more a little bit in myself.”