Power vs Precision? Andreeva explains which rival is tougher to face, Swiatek or Sabalenka

Teenager Mirra Andreeva revealed the difference between playing against Iga Swiatek and Aryna Sabalenka. The 17-year-old Russian player recently won the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships title, in which she claimed her first WTA 1000 title.

Mirra Andreeva, who had an excellent week and reached the final of the WTA 1000 Dubai after defeating Clara Tauson 7-6, 6-1, became the youngest player to win a tournament of this category since the introduction of this format in 2009.

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The Russian tennis player spoke about the big difference between Aryna Sabalenka and Iga Swiatek, pointing out that the Belarusian is a very powerful player, whereas the Polish player is characterised by the placement of the shot.

Andreeva, who defeated Swiatek in Dubai in the quarterfinals of the tournament with a double 6-3 score, said that playing against her is: "I think that it’s not about the power, but it’s about the placement of her shot because she plays very close to the lines and with a great shape. The ball goes very, very fast."

Additionally, the Russian added: "The spin that she gives to the ball makes the ball bounce even higher."

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But when facing Sabalenka, the new world No. 9, she stated that the Belarusian is different from the Polish player, as her game is much more powerful: "Well, I think that Aryna, she’s a very, very powerful player. She will always go for her shots."

The young Russian player also added: "I wouldn’t even say that she plays flat because she has such an active spin on her shots. For me, that’s a difficulty to kind of keep up in the point against her."

The H2H between Andreeva and Swiatek stands at 1-1, with their last encounter taking place at the WTA 1000 Dubai, where the teenager won 6-3, 6-3 in the quarterfinals. On the other hand, against Sabalenka, the H2H favours the world No. 1 4-1. Their last match was in the fourth round of the Australian Open, where Sabalenka won 6-1, 6-2.

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