Iga Swiatek faced off against Emma Raducanu for the first time in their career, and the Polish player proved better, winning their match at the 2022 Porsche Tennis Grand Prix 6-4, 6-4.
It was not the usual thrashing we've come to expect from Iga Swiatek, especially considering her prowess on clay, but it was still good enough to get the win. The Polish player recently said she doesn't care about the scores, so the win will undoubtedly be important.
Raducanu surprised quite a few people in this match with her brave play that held up relatively well against a player who has been dominating the world of tennis for a while now. Swiatek jumped out to an early 2-0 lead, and after those struggles, Raducanu played better.
She could hold her serve rather well, as Swiatek did not press the issue much. On return, Raducanu could not create too much pressure as Swiatek dropped only two points on her first serve and three points overall.
Both served rather well. In the second set, Raducanu seemingly struggled with physical issues as she took a medical timeout, but she continued to play after that.
It was a very similar set as both served well, but this time around, both upped their game on return. Swiatek was even more dangerous, taking an early 1-0 lead, but Raducanu battled back immediately in the next game to make it 1-1. Swiatek then took the lead once more and held the break for a 3-1 lead.
It was a very solid effort from Raducanu, but she could not sustain a high level for long enough to wrestle control of the match away from Swiatek. Ultimately, Swiatek won the set 6-4 after a huge hold at 4-3, in which she had to save a few break points.