3 best off-court interactions between Naomi Osaka and Iga Swiatek

The World No. 2 is yet to lose a set in the tournament and made easy work of 16th seed Jessica Pegula in the semifinals. Osaka, on the other hand, earned a hard-fought win over 22nd seed Belinda Bencic in her semi-final encounter.

The clash on Saturday will mark the second meeting between the two on the WTA tour. They previously met at the 2019 Canadian Open, where the four-time Grand Slam champion bested the Pole in straight sets to reach the quarterfinals.

In the years since, Swiatek and Osaka have gone on to become close friends off the court, constantly interacting and hyping each other up on social media and in interviews. Without further ado, here is a look at some of the best interactions between the pair:

#1 "What a star!" - Naomi Osaka on Iga Swiatek's 2020 French Open run

Iga Swiatek's best performance in her short time on the women's tour came at the 2020 French Open, where she raced to the title as an unseeded player. The 20-year-old defeated top seed Simona Halep in the fourth round, her first victory over a top-10 player.

Naomi Osaka, who had withdrawn from the tournament with a hamstring injury and was closely following the action, took to Twitter after Swiatek's upset win to hail the Pole as a "star."

Osaka also posted an Instagram story in praise of Swiatek after she defeated Sofia Kenin in the final.

#2 "I've never been so satisfied after a loss" - Iga Swiatek on her loss to Naomi Osaka in Canada

After losing to Naomi Osaka in their first meeting, Swiatek took to Twitter to share her feelings on the result. Instead of being dismayed by the defeat, the Pole, who was making her WTA 1000 main-draw debut at the tournament, remarked that she was rather "satisfied" with the way she played.

The Pole went on to thank her opponent, who was a two-time Major winner at the time, for giving her the opportunity to play a great match.

#3 Iga Swiatek and Naomi Osaka discuss their favorite ice cream flavors on Instagram

What truly solidified Iga Swiatek and Naomi Osaka's friendship was the video call between the two that went viral on social media a couple of years back. In a live session the Japanese hosted on Instagram, she spoke with the World No. 2 about a host of topics that included their favorite ice cream flavors.

Swiatek said she preferred cookies and cream, which did not sit well with Osaka. The former World No. 1 jokingly remarked that she still liked the Pole but it was really "hard" to do so after learning that that was her ice cream flavor of choice.

The former Roland Garros winner followed up by saying she liked the chocolate flavor too, which was once again met with disapproval from the 24-year-old. Iga Swiatek's third and final flavor of choice, Stracciatella, also went over like a lead balloon with her friend.

About the author

Shyam is a journalist and content manager who covers tennis at Sportskeeda. He has followed the sport for over two decades and considers Roger Federer the G.O.A.T. Shyam believes in accurate stories that provide detailed knowledge and insight, and strives to bring the same to his readers. Shyam has good understanding of SEO and journalism guidelines.

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