rival
noun.
the contestant you hope to defeat
he had respect for his rivals|he wanted to know what the competition was doing
Synonym: challenger, competition, competitor, contender
verb.
be equal to in quality or ability
Nothing can rival cotton for durability|Your performance doesn't even touch that of your colleagues|Her persistence and ambition only matches that of her parents
Synonym: equal, match, touch
verb.
be the rival of, be in competition with
we are rivaling for first place in the race