Two months back, Liudmila Samsonova gained much respect on the WTA tour. She had played continuous matches without adequate rest at Montreal. Samsonova was tired in the final against Jessica Pegula and lost in straight sets. Pegula, too, had felt that her opponent was suffering too much. But now, Samsonova is facing backlash for her take on Iga Swiatek, which angered fans of Aryna Sabalenka.
Samsonova was asked who she would choose as the best player of the season. The Russian chose Swiatek. She said ” Iga. 100%. I feel like she’s the real number 1. We were speaking together in the Beijing Final, she came to me & was very nice during the ceremony.” The world No.15 received a lot of hate from Sabalenka fans.
A very disrespectful thing to say.
— L0renz0 (@LvMattherhon) October 26, 2023
The fans of Sabalenka did not accept Samsonova’s reaction. “A very disrespectful thing to say,” commented a fan after hearing Samsonova’s opinion. Another fan commented, “Lol…this is a direct jab at Sabalenka and very unnecessary.”
Samsonova is currently playing at the WTA Elites in Zhuhai, China. The 24-year-old had her reasons to support Swiatek, but it was not taken lightly by the fans. Meanwhile, Swiatek and Sabalenka will be playing at the WTA Finals in Cancun, Mexico, from 29th October. The Polish player will look to take back the No.1 spot from Sabalenka at the end of next week.
Is Aryna Sabalenka a better world no. 1 than Iga Swiatek?
The WTA tour had not seen changes in the No.1 spot up until the US Open this season. The Belarusian ended Swiatek’s 75-week reign on top, and it has not changed ever since. Sabalenka also outperformed Swiatek in grand slams this season. She reached at least the semifinals of all the slams and won the Australian Open. In contrast, Swiatek won the French Open and reached the quarterfinals at Wimbledon.
In terms of matches, the 22-year-old has won 63 matches this season, while Sabalenka has won 50 matches. It took Swiatek seven years to reach the top spot after turning professional. In comparison, the 25-year-old Sabalenka has taken eight years to become the world No.1. Swiatek has won five titles this season, and Sabalenka has won three titles. Both players are playing at the WTA Finals for the third consecutive time.
20 days 👉 Cancun 😎
T-minus 20 days until we kick off our year-end finals!#WTAFinals pic.twitter.com/QJdqNIkBgU
— wta (@WTA) October 9, 2023
The four-time grand slam champion has five wins over Sabalenka in eight matches. At the WTA Finals, they played two matches in which the world No.1 emerged victorious. The pair has a chance of meeting in the semifinal of the season-ending championship. The fans will get to see two of the best players of the 2023 season play for the ultimate prize.