Swiatek Moves Into Stuttgart Final As Jabeur Retires After 3 Games
WTA
Iga Swiatek will be playing in the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix final, but she didn't achieve it the way she wanted.
What was supposed to be an epic clash on clay ultimately ended up being a 17-minute match which ended with Ons Jabeur retiring, which sent Swiatek to the final at the WTA 500 event in Stuttgart.
Swiatek is one of the best players in the world on clay, if not the best, and it’s not a subjective opinion. She’s proved it a couple of times, including last year when she posted a 39-5 record on the surface.
Therefore, it’s not a massive surprise that her first event on clay this year has been really great as well. She beat two really good players in Qinwen Zheng and Karolina Pliskova to find herself in the semi-final, in which she faced Jabeur, who has been playing superb tennis as well.
It was supposed to be an amazing matchup that gave some great moments in the past. They played in the Italian Open final last year, even though Swiatek won that match without too many problems. Still, it was an enticing match, and fans were hoping to see that.
The Porsche Tennis Grand Prix being an indoor clay event made it even more likely as the margin was a bit smaller for Swiatek. What makes the Pole so good on clay is her movement, and indoor clay plays a bit faster than regular clay, which makes her movement less impactful.
Unfortunately, as the match unfolded, it became clear that something was very wrong with Jabeur. She wasn’t playing well and seemingly struggling with an injury, which was confirmed when she called for a medical timeout after being down 0-3.
Jabeur had just recently won the Charleston Open and had hoped to continue playing well, but unfortunately, injury struck, and that didn’t happen.
After consulting the doctor, Jabeur elected to retire from the match as it was obvious that she couldn’t win it. That sent Swiatek to the final, her third final this year and first against Aryna Sabalenka.
