Aryna Sabalenka and Iga Swiatek have struggled to find their best level in the Middle East recently.
The WTA Tour’s top two players traveled to Doha and Dubai in search of a first WTA 1000 crown of the season.
It wasn’t to be, however, as both players failed to reach the final of both the Qatar Open and Dubai Tennis Championships.
Sabalenka lost to Ekaterina Alexandrova in Doha, 6-3, 3-6, 6-7, as she lost her opening round of a tour-level event for the first time in 357 days.
She then fell in the second round one week later, as Sabalenka was beaten by Clara Tauson in Dubai, 3-6, 2-6.
Her Polish rival fared slightly better, qualifying for the semi-finals in Qatar, before Swiatek lost to Jelena Ostapenko.
Having beaten Victoria Azarenka and Dayana Yastremska in her first two matches at the Dubai Tennis Championships, Swiatek fell to defeat against Russia’s Mirra Andreeva.
As the pair now look ahead to the two WTA 1000 tournaments in America, they discuss whether they could one day work together in a coaching capacity.
Aryna Sabalenka is ‘not sure’ she would be a good coach for Iga Swiatek after her recent comments
In Dubai, Swiatek picked Sabalenka as a potential coach for the future, suggesting that the pairing could be ‘fun.’
“She’s older than me so maybe she is going to finish earlier and that would be fun,” she said.
Sabalenka recently took to Instagram, giving her thoughts on Swiatek’s comments.
“I’m not sure about that,” said Sabalenka.
“Probably because of my crazy experience I could help with the mental part of the game.
“But once again, I’m not sure about that.”
The pair are admittedly unlikely to work together, considering the Belarussian star is only three years Swiatek’s senior.
Swiatek and Sabalenka have played one another 14 times on tour so far throughout their careers, with the 23-year-old leading the head-to-head, 8-4.
| Match | Winner | Loser | Score |
| 2024 Cincinnati (SF) | Aryna Sabalenka | Iga Swiatek | 6-3, 6-3 |
| 2024 Rome (F) | Iga Swiatek | Aryna Sabalenka | 6-2, 6-3 |
| 2024 Madrid (F) | Iga Swiatek | Aryna Sabalenka | 7-5, 4-6, 7-6 |
| 2023 WTA Finals (SF) | Iga Swiatek | Aryna Sabalenka | 6-3, 6-2 |
| 2023 Madrid (F) | Aryna Sabalenka | Iga Swiatek | 6-3, 3-6, 6-3 |
| 2023 Stuttgart (F) | Iga Swiatek | Aryna Sabalenka | 6-3, 6-4 |
| 2022 WTA Finals (SF) | Aryna Sabalenka | Iga Swiatek | 6-2, 2-6, 6-1 |
| 2022 US Open (SF) | Iga Swiatek | Aryna Sabalenka | 6-3, 1-6, 6-4 |
| 2022 Rome (SF) | Iga Swiatek | Aryna Sabalenka | 6-2, 6-1 |
| 2022 Stuttgart (F) | Iga Swiatek | Aryna Sabalenka | 6-2, 6-2 |
| 2022 Doha (QF) | Iga Swiatek | Aryna Sabalenka | 6-2, 6-3 |
| 2021 WTA Finals (RR) | Aryna Sabalenka | Iga Swiatek | 6-2, 2-6, 7-5 |
Sabalenka won their most recent outing in Cincinnati last year, dominating Swiatek in straight sets to advance to the final.
Iga Swiatek misses chance to close ranking gap to Aryna Sabalenka in Dubai
A title for the five-time Major champion in Dubai would’ve seen her close the gap to Sabalenka at the top of the world rankings.
Instead, the gap widened as Swiatek failed to defend her semi-final points from the 2024 tournament.
| Rank | Name | Points | Points gap to #1 |
| 1 | Aryna Sabalenka | 9,076 | – |
| 2 | Iga Swiatek | 7,985 | 1,091 |
| 3 | Coco Gauff | 6,333 | 2,743 |
| 4 | Jessica Pegula | 5,196 | 3,880 |
| 5 | Madison Keys | 4,680 | 4,396 |
Thanks to her performances at the ‘Sunshine Double’ events in 2024, Swiatek will have to defend even more points next month.
Points to defend at Indian Wells and the Miami Open
- Aryna Sabalenka – 185 points
- Iga Swiatek – 1,120 points
Having won Indian Wells last year, Swiatek will enter this year’s tournament with the pressure of defending the title and 1,000 points firmly on her shoulders.
She breezed past Greek star Maria Sakkari in 2024, winning 6-4, 6-0, to clinch her second title in California.
She’ll no doubt be hoping for more of the same when Indian Wells begins on March 3.
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