Aryna Sabalenka: “Tiger” instincts would protect me, Iga Swiatek on deserted island 🐯

World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka promised to hold down Iga Swiatek after learning her rival had picked Sabalenka as her hypothetical “desert island companion.”

“I got you. I got you, Iga. We're gonna survive,” Sabalenka laughed after reaching the BNP Paribas Open quarterfinals.

In a video posted to the tournament’s social media page, many players picked laidback Tommy Paul or world-famous Novak Djokovic in answer to the familiar question “Who would you be stranded with on a deserted island?”

Swiatek took a decidedly logical zag, citing Sabalenka’s Tiger persona as key to their survival:

“If she’s going to be like a tiger, she’s going to probably hunt for some food, and we’ll be safe with that,” the defending champion reasoned.

A flattered Sabalenka, who famously sports a large tiger tattoo on her left forearm, addressed the pick after a dominant performance over lucky loser Sonay Kartal on Wednesday.

“I'm gonna bring you food,” joked the top seed. “Don't worry.”

At least, assuming there is food on the island, Sabalenka briefly entertaining a Lord of the Flies scenario at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden.

“Listen, could go either way,” she mused. “If there wouldn't be food, I would go for her probably, you know. So, it's kinda like good and bad option for her.

“But I'll do my best to do everything so we are not hungry and we're safe,” she said, bringing it home with a laugh.

Sabalenka has certainly embraced the role of the hunter in Tennis Paradise, reaching the last eight without dropping a set, losing just six games in her last two wins over Kartal and Lucia Bronzetti.

She and Swiatek are still projected to face off in the final—provided, of course, neither nor both find themselves on a deserted island before Championship Sunday.