Iga Swiatek breezes into 3rd round at U.S. Open

 

World No.1 Iga Swiatek of Poland cruised into the third round of the US Open on Thursday with a 6-0, 6-1 dismissal of Japanese qualifier Ena Shibahara in Arthur Ashe Stadium.

Swiatek, the 2022 US Open champion and a four-time Roland Garros titlist, needed just 65 minutes to power past 217th-ranked Shibahara in their first singles meeting.


"For sure I used yesterday to practice a little bit and get my rhythm," Swiatek said, leveling up on Thursday after a tricky Tuesday first-round win over Kamilla Rakhimova. "I felt like I can play in a much more solid way, and I was making for sure better decisions [today]."

Next up for Swiatek will be a third-round match against No.25 seed Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, who defeated 65th-ranked Elisabetta Cocciaretto of Italy 5-7, 6-1, 6-2. Swiatek is 1-0 against Pavlyuchenkova, winning 6-0, 6-0 at 2023 Rome.

19: With the win, Swiatek has made her 19th straight Grand Slam third round appearance. She is the fifth player in the Open Era to reach the Round of 32 in 19 or more consecutive Grand Slam tournaments, joining Martina Navratilova, Stefanie Graf, Arantxa Sanchez Vicario and Conchita Martinez.

20: Swiatek is now a commanding 20-2 in Grand Slam second-round matches in her career. Her only two losses in the second round of majors were to Camila Giorgi at the 2019 Australian Open and Anastasija Sevastova at the 2019 US Open.

20-0: Swiatek is also a perfect 20-0 against players ranked outside of the Top 100 at Grand Slam events, with eight of those wins coming at the US Open. The 23-year-old is also 7-0 against qualifiers at Grand Slam events (14-0 in sets).

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Another round, another chance to do better. 

And better she did.

Great serving and a clean clinical performance. 6 unforced vs 41 in round 1. It's like night and day. 

As Iga herself mentioned she was definitely in the zone today.

Pavlachenkova will be another step up, but we believe.

Jazda!

Iga Swiatek posts her 80th Grand Slam match win at U.S. Open

 The pink cap is back :)

No.1 seed Iga Swiatek survived a gritty challenge from lucky loser Kamilla Rakhimova in the first round of the US Open, saving triple set point in the second-set tiebreak before advancing 6-4, 7-6(6) in 1 hour and 52 minutes.

Early on, the first-time encounter threatened to be a one-sided rout after Swiatek raced out to a 4-0 lead for the loss of just three points. But thereafter Rakhimova, who took Aryna Sabalenka to three sets in Washington four weeks ago, pushed the Pole hard for the rest of the match. Swiatek was unable to close out the World No.104 serving at 5-4 in the second set, and ultimately needed to squeak past in a tiebreak that went down to the wire.

This fortnight, Swiatek is bidding to add a second US Open crown to her 2022 title. Her 21st victory in 22 career Grand Slam first-round matches sets up a second-round clash with qualifier Ena Shibahara, the former doubles No.4 who has turned her focus to singles this year. The Japanese World No.217 claimed a marathon 6-3, 4-6, 7-6[6] contest over Daria Saville in 3 hours and 17 minutes, coming from 2-0 down in the third set for a victorious Grand Slam singles debut.

What did Rakhimova do to push Swiatek so hard?

Rakhimova and Swiatek had never previously played at any level, but they would have been familiar with each other: both born in 2001, the pair grew up together throughout the various junior levels. In 2015, they were both semifinalists at Les Petits As, the most prestigious U14 tournament on the calendar.

Once Rakhimova settled after her slow start, she was able to drag Swiatek into a series of extended rallies due to superb anticipation and defense. Her vulnerability was that she was less able to finish them off on her own terms -- Rakhimova only struck nine winners to Swiatek's 30. However, Swiatek's inability to play her preferred quick, aggressive points was a reason behind her tally of 41 unforced errors.

"She's not playing too fast, which kind of makes you want to speed up," said Swiatek afterwards. "But you can't do that in these conditions sometimes because it's too risky. So I guess I feel like I made a lot of mistakes, because sometimes she was kind of provoking it."

In the second set, Rakhimova also demonstrated a high level on serve. In the first set, it had been attackable, and she had only won 60% of the points behind her first delivery -- a number that went up to 73% in the second set. Despite going down an early break, Rakhimova posted a sequence of routine holds to put herself in a position to take advantage of Swiatek's dip when serving for the match.

Rakhimova may not have racked up the winners, but she made them count when she did. A drop shot-lob combination was the best point of the first set, and a laser-like backhand down the line opened the door for the break back for 5-5 in the second set.

What were the keys to Swiatek getting over the line?

Amidst her error tally, Swiatek did find patches of superb tennis. Her own serve was frequently unplayable, and improved as the match went on: she won 75% of the points behind her first delivery in the second set compared to 64% in the first.

Having had her 4-0 lead cut to 5-4 in the opener, Swiatek responded with an authoritative service game, including two aces, to close out the set. However, after breaking for 2-1 in the second set, Swiatek uncharacteristically did little to press home her advantage on return -- and even more surprisingly, threw in a series of errant forehands when serving for the match.

In the tiebreak, strong play from Swiatek saved the first two set points -- but closing out the match required Rakhimova's own forehand to go astray in the closing few points.

Well this was far from a tidy performance from Iga 

I'm going to chuck it up to this being her first  match and first up on Arthur Ashe. And Iga still getting used to the conditions here vs Cincinnati. The 2nd serve really saved Iga in this match.  

Hopefully she'll get into a better rhythm with every match she plays here and the unforced errors will be a thing of the past.     

Another round is another chance to do better. 

Jazda!

Iga Swiatek falls short at semi final stage once more in Cincinnati

 

Wasn't to be for Iga today, seemed a bit tired and low energy after the previous days battle with Andreeva. 

2nd serve really wasn't on point and kept getting attacked by Sabalenka (usually it is quite reliable). 

These courts/conditions continue not to favor Iga's game, but she still had a fantastic week with some great matches that give her plenty of match practice (which is what she was looking for) and an idea of what to work on to prepare for NYC.  

Going from grass to clay to hard court is always a tough transition. 

Sabalenka didn't have to do that she withdrew from Wimbledon and didn't play the Olympics so only concentrated on training on one surface that's a huge advantage.  I'm confident that with a bit more matches and training Iga too will find her rhythm.

The fight she showed at the very end saving 9 match points and almost turning it around in the 2nd set gives me confidence that she's going to work things out match by match.

A  6/3 6/3 score line is not bad considering this tournament has never yielded Iga a high winning percentage. 

The fact she made back to back semis is a triumph in itself. Her consistency at WTA 1000s whether she wins or loses them is something else.

I think an extra few days rest now before getting back to training will do her a world of good.

On to the big apple, Jazda!

Iga Swiatek fights off a spirited younger opponent to make back to back semis in Cincy

World No.1 Iga Swiatek will play World No.3 Arnya Sabalenka in the semifinals of the Cincinnati Open after the Grand Slam champions both won their quarterfinal matches in contrasting fashion on Saturday.

Swiatek advanced to the final four at the Lindner Family Tennis Center for the second year in a row after coming from behind to defeat 17-year-old Mirra Andreeva in Saturday's first quarterfinal, 4-6, 6-3, 7-5, before Sabalenka eased to a 6-3, 6-2 win over Liudmila Samsonova to set the 12th installment of her and Swiatek's all-time rivalry.

Swiatek has won eight of her 11 prior matches against Sabalenka, including both matches this year in the finals of Madrid and Rome. They last played on hard courts in the semifinals of the WTA Finals -- also won by Swiatek -- but haven't played at a hard-court tournament that isn't the season-ending championships since they dueled in the semifinals of the 2022 US Open, which Swiatek also won from a set down.

Swiatek denies Andreeva another milestone

The fourth player younger than 18 to ever reach a WTA 1000-level quarterfinal since the tournament tier debuted in 2009, Andreeva raced out of the gates quickly in her first-ever meeting with the World No.1 -- showing no nerves nor frustration in windy conditions. She broke serve at 1-1 and kept her lead throughout the first set, saving two break points in both the sixth game and 10th game.

Forced to raise her level, Swiatek responded: She broke in Andreeva's first service game of the second set, and didn't face a break point herself until the match's final game. Given an opportunity to level the final set at 6-6 and force a winner-take-all tiebreak, Andreeva's backhand return missed well long -- and Swiatek wrapped up the 2-hour, 30-minute win two points later.

Swiatek is now 10-0 in quarterfinal matches in 2024 -- and the win was her 30th at a WTA 1000 this season. Only Serena Williams (36, 2013) has won more matches at that level in a single season in the last 15 years.

wtatennis.com


I said this match was going to be interesting and it certainly was that!. 

Mirra Andreeva came out swinging and really made Iga work for it in fairly hot conditions first up on center court. 

She was serving very well (had quite a few aces) constantly putting pressure on Iga to hold. 

She definitely felt zero intimidation and played completely free as a lot of first time opponents of Iga's tend to do.

I knew Mirrra was probably going to make it competitive based on how well she has been playing in Cincy but I was still surprised by just how high a level she showed. She did have a slight wobble towards the end and in really important moments that Iga was able to thankfully take advantage of. 

Iga for her part didn't have her best tennis today and really had to grit out this win. It was another one of those fun battles that her fans won't soon forget this season. 

Really proud of how she held it together for 2 and a half hours despite a lot of frustration throughout. 

Cincy and Canada are her worst tournaments win percentage wise so I'd love it if she could turn at least one of them around. 

Today she fought and found a way and in tennis that's all that matters in the end. 

Next up it'll be a 12th meeting with Sabalenka been a while since they have met on a hard court. 

Lot of people are giving Aryna the edge due to the fast court conditions, but I'm not convinced. Aryna can still be quite error prone when push comes to shove and she's put under a lot of pressure with a close score line.

My hope is that they're both able to put on a good show. 

This tournament needs at least one really memorable match because so far there have been glimpses but none that really make you sit up and take notice.  

Win or lose these kind of tests are great preparation for the U.S. Open.

Jazda Iga!

Give it your all you've got nothing to lose at this point go for it!. 

Iga Swiatek flies into the quarters at Cincy

No.1 seed Iga Swiatek maintained her perfect record against Marta Kostyuk to reach the Cincinnati Open quarterfinals, advancing 6-2, 6-2 against the No.15 seed in 70 minutes.

Swiatek will next face Mirra Andreeva for the first time after the 17-year-old took out No.5 seed Jasmine Paolini 3-6, 6-3, 6-2 in exactly 2 hours to reach her third career quarterfinal at WTA 1000 level or above. Andreeva has played Paolini in each of those runs: she defeated the Italian to make the Madrid quarterfinals, but lost to her in the Roland Garros semifinals. Additionally, Andreeva (with Diana Shnaider) also fell to Paolini (with Sara Errani) in the Paris Olympic Games doubles final.

In Cincinnati, the pendulum swung back towards Andreeva, who notched her second career Top 5 win after gradually taking control of the match with precise backhands and greater intensity in the home stretch.

Here are the key numbers behind Swiatek's swift win:

3: Swiatek has now defeated Kostyuk in straight sets in all three of their pro meetings. The Ukrainian got one more game on the board than in the Indian Wells semifinals in March, which Swiatek took 6-2, 6-1. Their closest match so far was in the 2021 Roland Garros fourth round, won by Swiatek 6-3, 6-4. The Pole also won their one junior encounter 6-3, 6-3 in the 2017 Traralgon Grade 1 final.

9: Swiatek advances to her ninth quarterfinal of 2024 so far, and her second in Cincinnati after reaching the semifinals last year. Her season record now stands at 54-6.

27: The story of the match lay in Kostyuk racking up 27 unforced errors in 16 games. There were brief signs at the start of the match that the World No.21 would be able to push Swiatek as she came up with a pair of excellent counter-punching winners in the first two games. But Kostyuk spent the remainder of the match eschewing point construction and over-pressing wildly. She compensated for her error count with only 12 winners.

71: Kostyuk's determination to end points quickly gave Swiatek little opportunity to demonstrate any form either way, and she tallied four winners to eight unforced errors overall. However, the World No.1 was superb in controlling what was on her racquet: she landed 71% of her first serves, and won 71% of the points behind it.

5: Swiatek's first-round win over Varvara Gracheva contained an unexpected mid-match plot twist as the Frenchwoman fought back from 6-0, 5-2 down -- saving five match points along the way -- to force a deciding set. There was to be no repeat of that today. Swiatek reeled off the last five points of the match, sealing victory with a break to love on her first match point.

wtatennis.com

 Much better performance  from Iga. Though to be fair she didn't have to do much Kostyuk made it pretty easy at times with a lot of errors. 

Next up a first time meeting with 17 year old Meera Andreva. One of the few times Iga will be playing someone younger than her. 

Could be very interesting.

Iga Swiatek survives a tricky opener in Cincy

 

CINCINNATI -- World No.1 Iga Swiatek made a winning return to the hard courts at the Cincinnati Open on Wednesday night. Playing her first match since winning a bronze medal for Poland at the Paris 2024 Olympics, Swiatek held off Varvara Gracheva 6-0, 6-7(8), 6-2 in her tournament opener.

"For sure, the transition is probably the hardest, from like the slowest surface [at Roland Garros] to the fastest surface," Swiatek said. "But 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."

A semifinalist last year, Swiatek will face Marta Kostyuk next in the third round. Kostyuk advanced by defeating Lulu Sun 6-3, 7-5.

Swiatek comes into Cincinnati looking to win her 11th WTA 1000 title of her career and fifth WTA 1000 of this season alone. Her 10 WTA 1000 titles are tied for second-most since the tournament's introduction in 2009, level with Victoria Azarenka and behind only Serena Williams' 13.

Swiatek has captured four of the six WTA 1000 tournaments so far this season, winning Doha and Indian Wells on hard court and Madrid and Rome on clay. With her third straight Roland Garros title in May, the 23-year-old Pole has already secured her spot at the WTA Finals Riyadh, where she is the defending champion.

Swiatek improved to 2-0 against Gracheva, with both meetings taking place on hard court. After Swiatek slammed the door in the first game with back-to-back aces to hold, she won the next six games before Gracheva held to 1-1 in the second set. Gracheva won just eight points in the opening set.

Swiatek led 5-2 in the second set and held four match points to break Gracheva for a 50-minute win. But the French qualifier saved them all and then broke Swiatek at love to put the second set back on serve. With Swiatek's losing the feel on her forehand, Gracheva stayed steady and leveled the set at 5-5.

Gracheva saved a fifth match point to hold and force the tiebreak. There, Swiatek again built a slight lead but could not close out the win. From 4-2 up, she lost four consecutive points to help Gracheva close out a remarkable second-set turnaround, with the Frenchwoman converting on her fifth set point.

Swiatek reset quickly to break Gracheva three times in the final set to end the 55th-ranked Frenchwoman's upset bid. Over 80 minutes after seeing her first match point, Swiatek converted on her sixth to secure the win after 2 hours and 11 minutes.

"Well, for sure, it wasn't easy, but I'm happy that I could have 6-0, 5-2 in my first match on hard court," Swiatek said after the match. "But for sure, Varvara was fighting and, and, yeah, I wasn't able to close in second set, but I'm happy that I could figure it out in the third and start playing the same kind of game as at the beginning of the match."

Swiatek finished the match with 41 winners to Gracheva's nine, while hitting 30 unforced errors to 16. She is now 21-0 this season against opponents ranked outside the Top 50.

wtatennis.com

This was a strange rollercoaster. Don't think I've ever seen Iga blow such a big lead before (and 5 match points no less). 

I mean she did blow a 4-0 lead at the Olympics but those were different circumstances, different kind of nerves. I've never seen her do something like this on tour. 

I'm gonna chuck it up to this being her first hard court match since March (on one of the quicker hardcourts as well). Thankfully she righted the ship and won the 3rd set routinely. 

She did say she was treating Cincy as practice, and well she got plenty of practice in the first match alone. 

Hopefully things will get better as she plays more and gets into a rhythm. Although the start of this match was pretty sublime, it's almost like things were going along too swimmingly and she lost concentration. 

Another learning experience for the world #1.

Next up for Iga will be Kostyuk who's having a decent season especially of late so I don't expect that one to be simple and easy (definitely won't be able to afford concentration lapses) but if she keeps her level throughout it could actually be a nice match to watch.  

Iga Swiatek and her Olympic medal

 

It's so good to have the official WTA photographer back taking wonderful photos of the world #1  :)

Iga Swiatek tempers expectations going into hardcourts of Cincinnati

Iga Swiatek is used to being the favorite at most tournaments she plays but the world No. 1 is tempering expectations ahead of her first hard-court match since March.

“We’re taking it easy, doing everything step by step,” she said to open her Media Day press conference at the Cincinnati Open. “For sure, it’s not going to be perfect from the beginning but I had a couple days to really get used to the surface, so I’m trying to do the best job possible every day and entering the court next day knowing I can do something better.

“I’m going to treat it as a practice tournament,” she added. “Not in a way that I don’t care but in the way that I want to implement all the stuff I’ve been practiced, and I think that’s the best approach for me.”

Swiatek last played on hard courts at the Miami Open, where she lost in the fourth round to Ekaterina Alexandrova, and the reigning Roland Garros champion, who reached the semifinals at this tournament in 2023, is bracing herself for even quicker conditions in Cincinnati given its shift back to Regular Duty Wilson tennis balls.

“Last year we tested Wilson’s Heavy Duty and this year we came back to Regular Duty,” explained the top seed, who will open against either Ajla Tomljanovic or a qualifier/lucky loser. “We haven’t played with these particular balls in, like, two years, which is just another thing to think about when you go out on court for us players because we’re obviously thinking about these things.

“They’re lighter, they lose their heaviness after a while because the hair from the ball is gone after about 15 minutes,” she continued. “I played with these in 2022, and so I need to kind of remember how it was. With all the changes with the surface and the balls, you can’t just expect to make constant progress. You need to focus on adjusting, and that’s what I’ll do now.”

Reminded that she won the 2022 US Open with Regular Duty tennis balls, the 23-year-old gave an exasperated smile.

“I don’t know how I did that!” she laughed. “I remember but it was pretty crazy. At the beginning of the tournament would you have expected that? I can’t explain!”

Swiatek opted out of the National Bank Open in Toronto, which kicked off the US Open swing, citing fatigue from the Paris Olympic Games, where she shook off a shock semifinal defeat to eventual champion Zheng Qinwen to win a bronze medal.

“I was happy I could deal with all this pressure and still get a medal. It wasn’t like a normal tournament for sure,” said Swiatek.

After spending time supporting her fellow athletes around the Games, the Pole felt refreshed ahead of the final stretch of the season.

“I felt like after the Olympics I needed to reset and just focus on getting my technique back and grinding on court. Here is the perfect place to do it…I think I got into a different rhythm here, where we’re only focused on the practices that I have and that’s it. I think that kind of helps me to rest off the court. I’m not expecting to have a break in the middle of the season, so I’m not thinking like that at all!”

Though her best results in the last 18 months have come on clay, might Swiatek use the space created by (relatively) lower expectation to rediscover the sort of hard-court form that once took her to the US Open title?

tennis.com

Definitely the right approach after a long time away from hardcourt I think. But honestly people don't give her enough credit for how good of a hardcourt player she is. 

Cincinnati is probably the most challenging because of it's quickness, but if she goes into it with no expectations who knows maybe it'll help her to play more loose and allows her to be better. 

Can't wait, the WTA is just not the same for me without Iga around. She tends to bring out better levels of play from everyone. 

Iga Swiatek takes the Bronze for Poland at Paris Olympics

Within 24 hours, Iga Swiatek’s devastation turned to pride as the world No.1 made history by becoming Poland’s first Olympic tennis medal winner.

Swiatek dominated surprise-packet Anna Karolina Schmiedlova in the women’s singles bronze medal play-off, winning 6-2 6-1 in less than an hour.

Swiatek’s connection with the Olympic Games runs deep; her father Tomasz Swiatek competed at the Seoul 1988 Games as a Polish rower, finishing seventh in the quadruple sculls.

It made Friday’s triumph all the more meaningful, and meant she ended a psychologically and emotionally challenging campaign on a winning note.

"It’s amazing. Honestly me and my sister were raised in this spirit that the Olympics are the most important tournament. That’s why it wasn’t the easiest tournament,” Swiatek said.

“I’m happy (my Dad) was here to see it. This is for sure a great place for me to be and play. I’m happy that besides Roland Garros titles, I could add another success to it."

Swiatek’s reference to Roland Garros is notable.

Her June victory there – her third consecutive French Open title, and fourth in five years – made her the heaviest of favourites entering the Olympic Tennis Event, staged at the same venue.

It was believed the conditions could not have aligned more perfectly for her; a rare staging of Olympic tennis on clay, her favourite surface, at a venue where she had not lost since 2021.

Throughout the week in Paris she often looked tense and tight, but did enough to reach the medal rounds.

Taking a 23-match clay-court winning streak into her semifinal against rising Chinese star Zheng Qinwen, she was facing an opponent against whom she held a 6-0 head-to-head record.

The only other players remaining in the draw at that stage, Schmiedlova and Donna Vekic, were both ranked outside the top 20.

But being such a prohibitive favourite for a prize she held in the highest regard proved overwhelming.

Swiatek managed just 12 winners while spraying 36 unforced errors against Zheng, letting slip a 4-0 second-set lead to lose in straight sets.

Devastated, she wept during a television interview, cutting it short, and did not speak to the written press.

She later revealed in an interview with Clay that she cried for six hours. “I’ve never felt like this before. Yesterday I experienced one of the hardest defeats of my career,” she said.

To go from that position, to re-setting for the bronze medal match, was a demonstration of the character and strength that has seen her dominate the sport since 2022.

“This (bronze medal win) makes it even better,” Swiatek said. “I’m proud of myself I could do it.”

ausopen.com

What a way to regroup after possibly the most devasting loss of the season (or as Iga herself admits worst loss of her career). 2021 Tokyo Iga left after weeping into her towel on court in the 2nd round of the Olympics. 

3 years later once again in tears she loses a heartbreaker trying to get to the final for the gold medal due to huge internal and external expectations. 

But in the end leaves Paris as the first Polish Medalist in the sport of tennis. At just 23 years of age. 

Amazing.

This might just be the proudest moment for me not only as a fan but as a Pole. 

It takes an incredible strength of character to come back to the same court about 24 hours after you've just experienced the worst loss of your life, a court where up to that one moment you've had the most success on (and won your 5th Slam just 3 months prior). 

And not only win, but win convincingly. 

Iga has always had my admiration and respect but this win has raised it to a whole new level. 

Well done Iga you keep your head high and raise that medal with pride. You've fulfilled your (and your Dad's) dream of an Olympic medalist and had to work really hard for it. 

It may not be the exact colour you wanted but in time I think you'll really appreciate and be proud of your effort and what it means.

Because it was historic. You continue to break new ground for Polish tennis athletes and it fills me with joy every time I get to witness it. 

Congrats!.

Heart break for Iga Swiatek but still a chance for bronze at Paris Olympics

Just like in the last Olympics this image is going to stay with me :(

After her stunning semifinal loss to Zheng Qinwen, Iga Swiatek found herself in an alternative universe -- on the wrong side of a match score at Roland Garros.

Jaw set, eyes and face red, she conceded later it was not her best effort.

“It’s the result of the match. So I just messed up,” Swiatek told Eurosport Poland afterward. “I just had a hole in my backhand. It happens rarely because it is usually my most solid strike.

“I was not technically well-positioned because of the stress and the fact that I played my games day by day. We didn’t have time to adjust that and work on that. I know that’s not the justification, but I tried to correct that during the match. Today it didn’t work at all.”

But Swiatek can make up for some of that disappointment Friday.

Despite perceptions to the contrary, Swiatek’s Olympic dreams did not die with that loss to Zheng. The 23-year-old from Poland still has a chance to win a medal in Paris -- it’s just a different color than the one she imagined.

On Friday the World No.1 takes on Anna Karolina Schmiedlova of Slovakia. To the victor goes the bronze medal, a coveted piece of hardware sure to be cherished forever.

For context, here are the past three bronze medalists in women’s singles: Victoria Azarenka (2012), Petra Kvitova (2016), Elina Svitolina (2020). Formidable players across the board.

Before the tournament began at Roland Garros, Swiatek was asked what it would mean to win a medal.

“It would mean, obviously, a lot,” she answered. “I’ll really work hard to achieve that.”

It’s still within her grasp. Swiatek is particularly motivated to do something that eluded her father Tomasz, who rowed in the 1988 Olympics for Poland. His boat in the men’s quadruple sculls event failed to make the final but won the “B” final for seventh place.

Swiatek, who saw several streaks ended in the 6-2, 7-5 loss to Zheng, is essentially playing a home game in Paris. She’s 39-3 at the Paris venue and has won 25 of her past 26 matches. She also won 23 of her past 24 matches on clay this year.

If she can put her heartbreak aside quickly, Swiatek will be the heavy favorite on Friday. It will be the first meeting between Swiatek and Schmiedlova. The Slovakian has one Top 5 win in her career, which she tallied just this week. She paved her way to the medal rounds by defeating No.5 Jasmine Paolini in the Round of 16 before ousting Wimbledon champion Barbora Krejcikova in the quarterfinals.

wtatennis.com  

Still trying to process it all. It's been hours since it happened and I still can't get the image of poor Iga standing by that wall crying as the interviewer goes to commercial. 

Every time I see Iga cry like this it absolutely breaks me.

 
To all those people who think Olympics doesn't matter to Tennis players all you have to do is look at people like Iga and Andy Murray and you'll see exactly how wrong a notion that is.

Everyone expected her to win this after the draw completely opened up, because of her record at Roland Garros, the surface etc. Polish media and people in general were practically hanging that gold medal on her neck before she even made it past the semis. 

Internal and external pressure when playing for your country is really the worst thing in the world for an athlete. 

It's such a double edged sword it can carry you to your greatest triumphs, but it can also crushes you mentally. 

I remember Iga saying after her loss last year at Aussie Open something about  not wanting to win but being afraid to lose. This is what this felt like. She wanted this so badly that it paralyzed her.

She was up 4-0 in the 2nd set and could not keep her advantage because nerves would not allow her to relax enough to stop making unforced errors (a very uncharacteristic 36 in total). 

Iga is the best front runner in the world in any other tournament she probably would have won the 2nd set 6/0 or 6/1.  

But the Olympics bring with it a different kind of pressure and it completely weighed her down today. 

Probably her worst showing on clay since 2021.

I must say the worst thing about all of this, the saddest really is the amount of hate I'm seeing her receive online with this loss. I really hope she doesn't get back on social media till well after the event is through.

It feels like Poland as a nation doesn't appreciate Iga enough, and they constantly forget how young she still is. At the end of the day Iga is still a human who has bad days at work just like the rest of us. 

Hers have just been a lot less frequent this year. 

I have no doubt she will get a gold medal in her career might even be in the next Olympics in LA (yes it won't be at her favourite venue or surface). But someone with Iga's talent who works hard to improve with each season is too good not to.

She already made huge strides this year by reaching the semis something no other Polish player in history has ever done. Last Olympics she lost in the 2nd round. And she still has a chance for a bronze medal tomorrow. 

There's so much to be proud of. 

Even though some people seem to be under the impression that a bronze means nothing. 

A medal is a medal and in the case of the Bronze you still have to play for it in order to get it. So her work at this Olympics is nowhere near finished.  

I'm sure her disappointment is immeasurably immense, but I hope she's able to regroup and win with Schmidlova tomorrow, and does it for Poland, for her dad, but most of all for herself.

Keep your head up Iga, Poland is extremely proud and we always will be no matter the result. We're here for the whole journey the good and the bad.

Jazda!