"It was literally like playing against a sister" - Iga Swiatek laments having to beat 'best friend' Kaja Juvan at US Open

Iga Swiatek booked her spot in the fourth round of the 2023 US Open on Friday with a thorough beatdown, losing just one game and wrapping up her third-round clash in just under 50 minutes.

However, the day was not without a note of melancholy for the World No. 1, as the player on the other side of the net turned out to be her best friend Kaja Juvan.

Having known each other since they were kids and having grown up playing tennis together for so long, Swiatek has insisted time and again that Juvan is her best friend on tour. Even before their clash at Flushing Meadows, the 22-year-old had said:

"She's my best friend on tour. She's one of the most, like, honest and I think smart people on tour. I'm happy that she's my friend, but yeah, we've got to play against each other. It's a tricky situation, but I think we both know how to be professional and just play the match and that's all."

"We are talking about everything. You know how it is. Yeah, obviously we are talking about tennis, because it's our life, you know, but also, you know, other stuff. Yeah, mostly everything."

On Louis Armstrong stadium, Swiatek was all professional, winning 6-0, 6-1 with a display that can only be described as dominant.

At her on-court interview afterwards, the four-time Grand Slam champion admitted that she did not like the fact that she was winning so easily against her best friend, going as far as to say that it was like "playing against a sister."

“I didn’t like the fact I was kind of winning [against] my best friend but I knew I had to be really focused and not let myself think about that because it was literally like playing against a sister because we've known each other for so long.

"I don’t have many friends but she’s my best friend. That was the toughest part for sure,” Iga Swiatek said.

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Iga Swiatek will take on Jelena Ostapenko in US Open fourth round

US Open Tennis - Iga Swiatek

Following her emphatic win over Kaja Juvan, Iga Swiatek will take on Jelena Ostapenko in the fourth round of the US Open on Sunday. By contrast, Ostapenko needed three sets to down Bernarda Pera in the third round, coming from behind to win 4-6, 6-3, 6-3.

The Latvian holds a 3-0 lead in her head-to-head against Swiatek, with their most recent encounter at the Dubai Tennis Championships last year. The winner of the clash will take on either Caroline Wozniacki or Coco Gauff/Elise Mertens in the quarterfinals.