Iga Swiatek had to overcome a scare in her opening match of the Cincinnati Open, but the world No. 1 says she is not focused on her results at the WTA-1000 event.
The world No. 1 played her first hard-court match since March in Cincinnati. Swiatek's last event was at the Olympics, where she won a bronze medal. Danielle Collins also clashed with her in Paris, although the four-time French Open champion is still confused by that confrontation.
Swiatek seemed to be racing to a straightforward victory in Cincinnati, but her contest against Varvara Gracheva became surprisingly complicated, leading to an entertaining battle for the fans watching on Centre Court.
The Pole had match points at 0-6, 2-5, with just 50 minutes on the clock at that stage. However, Gracheva stormed back by saving five match points and then winning a dramatic tiebreak to force a deciding set.
Swiatek regained her level from the first set to progress 6-0, 6-7, 6-2. She stayed entirely composed through the dramatic moments in that match, showing how her personality differs from Carlos Alcaraz's.
The conditions at the Cincinnati Open are not a perfect fit for Swiatek's game due to the fast and lively courts. She is a great player in any conditions, but the 23-year-old is undoubtedly most comfortable on slower courts.
Although the match became tighter than expected, Swiatek was content with her performance. She was pleased with how she managed to find her level from the first set in the match's latter stages.
"I wasn’t able to close in the second set but I’m happy that I could figure it out in the third and start playing the same kind of game as I did at the beginning of the match."
Swiatek's level drop in the second set was understandable because of the transition from clay to hard courts. Switching surfaces during the middle of the season is difficult for the players.
In fact, Swiatek thinks changing from clay to hard courts is the most difficult because of the difference in the pace of the courts, especially since the courts in Cincinnati are speedy. Swiatek also said her results are not her main focus after making that surface change.
"It’s going to be a little bit tougher now to feel the game but that’s normal and we (her team) always need a couple of matches to get used to the surface. The transition (from clay to hard court) is probably the hardest, from like the slowest surface to the fastest surface."
"So that’s why I’m still happy with my performance and looking forward to another match to kind of still do the grinding and implement what I was working on but not really focusing on the results."
Swiatek's level in the first 50 minutes of her match against Gracheva was still ominous. Once she gets further matches under her belt, the Pole could be tough to stop if she can consistently produce that level over three sets.
The world No. 1's run to the US Open title in 2022 showed how capable she is. But other players like Aryna Sabalenka and the current US Open champion Coco Gauff will hope they can stop her with their best tennis at Flushing Meadows.
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