Iga Swiatek is through to the 2023 China Open quarter-final after besting compatriot Magda Linette in straight sets.
The Polish player is doing much better this week compared to last week in Tokyo, where she self-admittedly was a bit rusty. She wasn't sure whether she was 100 % ready for this event either, but she opted to play, and so far, it's been going really well.
After dominating in the first two matches here, Swiatek also smashed her compatriot Linette. It wasn't a huge surprise because it was expected. They know each other really well, and so a plan on how to beat her effectively was always going to be there.
It just came down to executing it on the court, and she did that really well. The opening set lasted 36 minutes with plenty of battling, but the final score was still 6-1 for Swiatek. She was very good on her own serve, avoiding break points while converting 2 of the 4 break points Linette gave her.
Swiatek's focus didn't fall off in the second set as she continued applying heavy pressure on her opponent, and Linette simply couldn't withstand it. She's a capable hitter, but Swiatek is on a whole other level when it comes to that, and there are only a few players that can hang with her in that regard.
Linette is not that player as she bowed out rather easily. The final score was 6-1 6-1 for Swiatek who moves on to the quarter-finals where she'll face either Anheline Kalinina or Caroline Garcia in the next round. We'll see what happens but she's looking really good right now after rediscovering her form in Tokyo.
Whether it will be enough to power her to her first trophy in a while remains to be seen. It's looking likely judging by her level.
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