Best Friends Sabalenka And Badosa To Clash In Roland-Garros Third Round

Aryna Sabalenka paid tribute to Paula Badosa, describing her as a "great fighter," and expressed her excitement about facing her best friend on the WTA Tour in the French Open third round. The two players have experienced contrasting fortunes in their opening matches at Roland-Garros this week.

Sabalenka has dominated her opponents, dropping just seven games in straight-set victories over Erika Andreeva and Moyuka Uchijima. In contrast, Badosa has had to come from behind to defeat Katie Boulter and Yulia Putintseva. The reigning Australian Open champion, who recently reached successive clay-court finals in Madrid and Rome, is eager to face the Spaniard but acknowledges that their friendship will be set aside during the match.

"She's my favourite," Sabalenka said. "I love her so much. I love to see her play, and she's really a great fighter, so it's always great matches. It's always tough to play your friend, really your best friend on tour, but we know how to manage that. We know how to separate court and life. So, it's always a great battle, a great fight against her. I always enjoy playing against her."

Paula and Aryna. Frenemies for a day.

Sabalenka has won each of the last four meetings between the players. However, their most recent encounter in Stuttgart earlier this year ended prematurely when an emotional Badosa was forced to retire due to injury. The former world number two has faced numerous injuries recently, with a back problem causing her to miss the second half of last season and resulting in her drop out of the WTA's top 100.

"She has a big personality," Badosa said of Sabalenka. "She always brings this good energy, even on court. She's a very active, very intense player. I'm really looking forward to that match. I think the last time [in Stuttgart], it finished in a sad way. I learned a lot from that match. I think it was a very good one from both sides."

Badosa added, "Sharing the court with her - after all these results she's getting - is a pleasure for me because this past year hasn't been easy. Playing this kind of match makes it all worth it."