Iga Swiatek was happy with how she managed to close out her rollercoaster match at the Cincinnati Open.
The world No.1 ousted France’s Varvara Grecheva 6-0, 6-7(8), 6-2, in what was a mixed performance. Swiatek looked to be in full control after winning 10 out of the first 11 games played to move ahead 6-0, 4-1. However, Grecheva clawed her way back to draw level. Then in the tiebreaker, she also failed to capitalise on a 4-1 lead but managed to bounce back in the decider to seal victory.
“I wasn’t able to close in the second set but I’m happy that I could figure it out in the third and start playing the same kind of game as I did at the beginning of the match,” Swiatek said afterward.
The encounter was the first match Swiatek has played since winning a bronze medal at the Paris Olympics, as well as her first Tour-level match on a hard court since March. Despite being the top seed in the women’s draw, her focus isn’t on her results in Cincinnati this week. Instead, the goal is to incorporate what she has learned during practice in matches.
“It’s going to be a little bit tougher now to feel the game but that’s normal and we (her team) always need a couple of matches to get used to the surface.” She said.
“The transition (from clay to hard court) is probably the hardest, from like the slowest surface to the fastest surface.
“So that’s why I’m still happy with my performance and looking forward to another match to kind of still do the grinding and implement what I was working on but not really focusing on the results.“
The 23-year-old will next take on Marta Kostyuk who beat Wimbledon quarter-finalist Lulu Sun in straight sets.
Swiatek is now 21-0 when it comes to playing against players ranked outside the top 50 this year. Overall, she has won 51 matches this year, which is more than anybody else on the WTA Tour. She is currently spending her 116th week at the top of the rankings.
