Iga Swiatek recorded her first official loss of the new season as she was easily beaten by Jessica Pegula 6-2 6-2 in the United Cup.
The outcome itself isn't as astonishing as the final score, which shows Pegula dominated Swiatek. Iga herself was astounded because it had definitely been a while since that had happened. After the match, she spoke about feeling helpless and sobbed as she exited the court.
"[The] conditions are totally different than anywhere else I've played her," said Pegula after the match. She also pointed out a clear advantage she had over Swiatek: "Obviously maybe I had a little bit of an advantage, they just flew in yesterday. Definitely the fastest conditions I have played here."
Swiatek is a spectacular mover but she too struggles with defending well, especially when faced against a super-aggressive player like Pegula. The American striking the ball very cleanly certainly didn't help. Pegula confirmed that as well:
"Every other place I've played her has been pretty slow. I think that favored me a lot, and I was able to use that to my advantage and play a really super clean match. I think I just was able to execute my game plan probably better than I have previous times."