Sliding might be a bad idea on grass but Iga Swiatek keeps sliding through the 2023 Wimbledon draw as she won another match easily.
The WTA number one expressed in Bad Homburg recently that she doesn't have any specific goals for the grass season wanting to simply learn to play better on the surface. It's a good attitude to have because you're not putting a lot of pressure on yourself. It worked as she put together some impressive performances in the German city.
The 2nd round win got her into the 40-win club this year and she's now added another win to her tally. Facing a player who can be tricky on the grass in Petra Martic, Swiatek produced a really sturdy and aggressive level that was enough for a straight sets-win.
Being able to hit the ball as hard as she can and with the precision that she can gives Swiatek a pretty clear advantage against most players. Playing on grass is ultimately relatively simple. If you hit the ball quickly the lower bounce will likely make it tough for your opponent to put it back and that's what Swiatek has been trying to do.
19 winners in total in the opening set is a pretty good efficiency for her even if she had 16 unforced errors. Martic certainly didn't hold back posting 10 winners and 13 unforced errors but it wasn't good enough. There was a lot of battling on both sides of the net as both faced break points. Swiatek was able to save most of them while Martic didn't and that was the difference.
The second set saw some impressive early play by Martic though Swiatek wasn't that far behind. She was still electing to finish most rallies on her own terms though both demonstrated tremendous shot-making. We saw 15 winners combined in the first 5 games of the second set. The players kept battling after that though Swiatek ultimately got the elusive break she needed.
She had a chance to finish things off at 5-3 but Martic saved the match point to prolong the match a little bit. Swiatek was supposed to finish off things but she didn't. Four consecutive lost points and the scoreboard saying 5-5. Martic then had a brilliant moment herself jumping out ahead 40-0 in the game only to lose it and give Swiatek the 6-5 lead.
This time around she didn't play with her food and finished it off for the final score of 6-2, 7-6. A really solid performance powered by 1 ace, 30 winners and 22 unforced errors. The number one simply played the crucial rallies better finding a level above her opponent when she needed it. She will try to do the same when she faces Belinda Bencic in the next round.
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