Good friends Paula Badosa and Aryna Sabalenka will face off in the second of the two women’s matches on Philippe Chatrier on Saturday. Badosa won the first two meetings between the two but Sabalenka has won the last four since her opponent’s drop off, most recently winning by a third set retirement in Stuttgart.
Badosa had been struggling to regain her form after a long injury layoff last year but does seem to be rounding into some form now. She followed up her Rome R16 with her run to the third round here. It wasn’t all easy though with the Spaniard having to come from a set down to beat both Katie Boulter and Yulia Putintseva.
There’s little to say about Sabalenka’s first two matches with the second seed easing through against weak opponents. There was a clear gulf in quality with Mayoko Uchijima getting continuously overpowered in the 6-2 6-2 win. Sabalenka hit 27 winners overall and took charge on return throughout the win.
Sabalenka has looked impressive on the clay over the past month but the existence of Iga Swiatek has meant she went without a title across Madrid and Rome. Badosa at her peak may well have fancied her chances in this one but she is not going to be able to fight her way to victory against someone on Sabalenka’s level right now. The pair’s dynamic could make this interesting but otherwise it will be relying on a disaster from the Belarussian to make things tight. “It’s always tough to play your friend, your really best friend on tour, I would say. It’s always tough, but we know how to manage that. We know how to separate court and life. So it’s always great battle, great fight against her. I always enjoy playing against her. We’re good to separate things.” Sabalenka said.
Prediction – Aryna Sabalenka in straight sets
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