“Beating players like that shows what you can do” – Clara Tauson on winning against Aryna Sabalenka and Iga Swiatek in 2025
Danish tennis star Clara Tauson had the best season of her young WTA career in 2025, notching several top 10 victories behind some very strong performances. The 22-year-old has stunned Aryna Sabalenka and Iga Swiatek, prompting many to consider her one of the players to beat this year.
Tauson is currently competing at the Wuhan Open, where she defeated Serbian Olga Danilovic in the first round. The 10th seed will next face Croatian Antonia Ruzic, who hopes to end the year on a high note.
In an interview before his campaign in Wuhan, Tauson discussed the two biggest victories of his career. The Copenhagen native beat world number one Aryna Sabalenka earlier this year in Dubai, before upsetting Wimbledon champion Iga Swiatek at the Canadian Open in August.
“I think it obviously gives you confidence in your ability to play with those players and beat them as well,” Tauson said. “I always believed I could beat the best players. I had a few matches where I was 6-4 in the third set with them and that showed I was close to what was possible.”
Defeating top players adds extra pressure, admits Tauson
The world No. 12 expressed her pride and self-confidence by toppling the giants of the sport. However, she revealed that she faces higher expectations once the job is done as she now has a target on her back every time she appears in court.
“Beating players like that shows what you can do and it also means that it raises expectations and maybe I need to handle that better,” she continued. “Next year I hope I can have the same kind of year and hopefully even better, but the scenario for me is different than a year ago.
“It’s different emotions that I have to deal with and obviously I have to try to continue playing like I’m doing and hopefully I have a few good tournaments left in me.”
Tauson is knocking on the door of the top 10 of the WTA rankings and hopes to join this elite category thanks to a strong result in Wuhan.
