“They both are pretty aggressive” - Linda Noskova compares Iga Swiatek and Aryna Sabalenka as opponents

Having faced both Iga Swiatek and Aryna Sabalenka on the WTA Tour in 2023, rising star Linda Noskova has shed light on the experience of facing the top two players on the women's tour right now.

Noskova rose to fame at the Adelaide International 1 in January this year when she finished as the runner-up after entering the competition as a qualifier. In her maiden WTA final, she lost 3-6, 6(4)-7 to Sabalenka.

On Saturday, July 29, Noskova locked horns with top seed Swiatek in the quarterfinals of the Poland Open. The World No. 1 registered a commanding 6-1, 6-4 win en route to clinching the title.

In a conversation with Dominik Senkowski on the sidelines of the event, the 18-year-old spoke about her experience of facing both Swiatek and Sabalenka.

“I would say that today [against Iga Swaitek] was a little more difficult, but with Aryna [Sabalenka] back in January, it was definitely tough. They both are pretty aggressive but Aryna might have been just a little more aggressive that day,” she said.

“Also a few weeks later, she won a Grand Slam [Australian Open]. It was a pretty great match for me to play in [that day], [and] also today. It was just a pretty good experience playing number one in the world,” she added.

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“I get to play the best tennis players in the world” - Linda Noskova on the perks of a good WTA ranking

Linda Noskova in action against Coco Gauff at the 2023 BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, California.

Linda Noskova made her WTA Tour debut at the French Open in 2022, when she came through the qualifiers to reach the main draw, before losing to Emma Raducanu in the opening round — despite winning the opening set.

Since then, she has regularly featured in various tour-level events as a handful of good runs have seen her slowly rise up the WTA rankings. After being ranked World No. 312 at the end of 2021, she rose to No. 91 by the end of the following year.

This year, Noskova reached a career-high ranking of 45 on June 26. The teenager from the Czech Republic has stated that she has enjoyed playing in bigger tournaments against the best players thanks to her rise in the rankings.

“Adelaide helped me jump from 120 to around 50, so it's definitely [a] better experience for me because I get to play 1000s and all these bigger tournaments and matches. And I get to play the best tennis players in the world, which is really great for my tennis career,” she opined.