Iga Swiatek falls short of 3-peat in Stuttgart

Well not the result we wanted. Iga's serve and return really let her down today, serve in the 3rd set in particular. 

She had 15 break points or something and only managed to take 2, definitely not great if you want to win. 

Had she gotten that 3-0 lead in the first set being 2-0 15-40 up she probably would have loosened up and it would have been a different match. But it was not to be.

On the other hand Rybakina wasn't even serving at her usual level either, at one point both had a first service percentage of 49. 

Came down to being just slightly better in the important moments in the match. And today sadly Rybakina had the edge. 

Still really proud of the way Iga fought after losing the first set and managing to take it to 3. 

Saving 8 breakpoints in one service game. Can't say she didn't try her damnest even when not firing on all cylinders.

 I'm actually surprisingly not too sad about this loss (sure I'm disappointed she didn't get the 3-peat) would have been another cool thing for the record books. 

But she already has 2 Porsche's, and I have no doubt they will not be her last. 

I'm mostly just sick of the tired narrative every time she loses to Rybakina the whole Iga has a big hitter problem, Rybakina is an all court player, blah, blah, blah. 

I'm not denying that Rybakina causes Iga problems because her serve always does, but let's not exaggerate and start penciling her in as a Roland Garros contender or anything. 

Beating Iga on an indoor clay is one thing, beating her on the normal slower clay of Rome and Roland Garros is quite another. 

Until she beats Iga at one of those tournaments convincingly I'm calling this a one off, and will always give Iga the edge on the surface (serve and all). 

You don't win 3 tournaments at Roland Garros by accident and Rybakina has yet to reach a final there.    

A lot of people on the internet think that Iga not getting enough preparation on clay (due to playing hard courts at BJK Cup right before) was  partly to blame for this loss. 

Maybe a little. 

I'd say mostly in terms of serve prep. But in general Iga herself has stated she has no problem changing surfaces. She did the same thing 2 years ago when she won the tournament for the first time. 

I'm more inclined to agree with the 2nd point people were making on social media and that's Iga's return and her unwillingness to adjust by moving further back and give herself more room to make a good return. 

That seemed to be the biggest culprit today. Hopefully that's something her coach can point out and work on for next time they meet. 

Next up is another unconventional tournament on clay in the altitude of  Madrid. 

Where I believe Iga reached the final last year. 

She has been really good at bouncing back from losses this season, lost in Australia won Doha, lost in Miami won Indian Wells all WTA 1000's as well. 

So maybe this is the year she finally wins Madrid Open.   

As I said the other day if she had to lose to Rybakina I'd rather it was here indoors then in Rome or Roland Garros. 

I'll be ecstatic if she wins another Slam in Paris and nothing else on clay (though I do secretly hope she does well at the Olympics too). Watching her reaction after the loss a few years ago was gut-wrenching.

I will be cheering on Ukrainian Marta Kostyuk tomorrow who has spent a herculean 10 hours on court to reach this final. 

Her matches have been the highlight of the tournament for me this year. 

Really hope she takes it.                                                         

Good effort from Iga this week nonetheless. 

Clay season is just beginning, with true clay still to come. 

On to the next one.

Jazda!.          

Iga Swiatek makes 3rd consecutive semis in Stuttgart

World No.1 Iga Swiatek's winning streak at the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix extended to 10 matches on Friday as the two-time defending champion defeated former US Open champion Emma Raducanu 7-6(2), 6-3 in the quarterfinals.

For a spot in her third straight final in Stuttgart, Swiatek will face No.4 seed Elena Rybakina, who came from a break down in the third set to beat Dubai champion Jasmine Paolini in three sets earlier in the day.

Swiatek needed 2 hours and 3 minutes to dispatch the resurgent Brit, who was contesting her first quarterfinal since the autumn of 2022, and improve to 3-0 all-time in their historic head-to-head. But though Swiatek has never lost a set in those three matches, Wednesday's clay-court affair -- their second match in Stuttgart -- was the most competitive.

The first set was the story: For just the second time in 21 career sets played at the tournament, Swiatek was pushed to a tiebreak thanks to an inspired effort from the former US Open champion. The first set on its own lasted 1 hour and 10 minutes, and the first three games alone lasted more than 20 of those combined.


Raducanu was the first to break serve -- from 40-0 down, no less -- and although Swiatek broke her back immediately, the Brit served notice that she was ready to dig her heels in and compete in a seven-deuce opening service game.


After the first two games, only one more went to deuce -- and it was a crucial one. Raducanu saved the only other break point either woman faced in the first set in the sixth game -- when a second serve that was initially called out was overruled to in, and she was awarded the point.

But Swiatek's level raised in the tiebreak, where she won the first four points and five of the first six.

Swiatek speaks: After the match, Swiatek said that she was ready to navigate the challenge that Raducanu posed after the Brit's early hot start.

"She started playing at the beginning pretty loose, like she had nothing to lose, and I totally get that. Sometimes it is like that," the top seed said afterwards.

"But I knew I was kind of questioning if she's going to be able to keep the same intensity throughout the whole match. It wasn't about service games or return games. I was just the waiting for my chances to break back and I was sure that I'm going to get them."

Raducanu serves notice in defeat: Despite the loss, early returns for Raducanu have been positive in the clay-court season thus far. Her two wins for Great Britain in Billie Jean King Cup play against France, and two wins at the Porsche Arena over Angelique Kerber and Linda Noskova, marked the first time she won four matches in a row since her life-changing US Open win out of qualifying three summers ago.

The former World No.10 came into the tournament ranked No.303, and her Stuttgart return was nonetheless a full circle moment: She missed the rest of the 2023 season following this tournament last year due to surgery on both wrists and her ankle. Raducanu is the lowest-ranked player to reach a WTA 500 quarterfinal since Elena Rybakina, who was a wild card ranked No.450 at the 2018 St. Petersburg Ladies' Trophy.

wtatennis.com

I said this in yesterday's post and I'll say it again I have missed watching Iga Swiatek play on clay. Just a totally different beast in the way she fights and her confidence on it. 

The shots she was making were superb. Feast for the eyes really. A great win over a player who's certainly gaining some momentum on clay. 

The first set was extremely impressive from Raducanu, really made Iga raise her level (as she did in the tiebreak). Not many players can hang with Iga on clay the way Emma did. So hats off.

Next comes the match I have been simultaneously wanting and dreading ever since their last meeting on this surface in Rome last year (where Iga retired due to hip injury). 

They did of course play on the hardcourts of Doha in February where Iga got the win. But I've been waiting for this rematch on clay. 

I'm glad it's happening here in Stuttgart rather than Roland Garros. Even though I'm sure Iga will feel some pressure trying to go for the 3-peat at least it's a 500 tournament. 

I have never wanted Iga to defeat an opponent more then I do Rybakina on clay. Just to prove that despite how good Rybakina's serve and her game is, and despite the trouble it sometimes causes Iga it's still no match on the clay. I want that so bad.  

I know it's definitely not going to be easy, but I believe in Iga's problem solving skills and her patience on clay, and I really think as long as she stays calm she's going to get the win. 

I'm anxious and excited for tomorrow. 

Jazda Iga!.

Cool stats time:

The World No.1 becomes the second player this century to win 11 consecutive matches against former Grand Slam champions without dropping a single set. (Also S. Williams, Wimbledon 2010 - US Open 2012)


Iga is an absurd 132-3 record when winning the 1st set since 2022 Doha when her win streak began, 33-0 on this surface. Overall record in that time period is an absurd 151-20.


World No.1
@iga_swiatek becomes the third player in the Open Era to win their first 10 matches at the #PorscheTennis Grand Prix after Tracy Austin and Maria Sharapova

Iga Swiatek makes a winning return on clay in Stuttgart

Iga Swiatek had a victorious clay-court debut for the 2024 season on Thursday, when she defeated Elise Mertens 6-3, 6-4 in the second round of the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix.

World No.1 Swiatek, playing her first match on the dirt since she won last year's Roland Garros title, needed 1 hour and 33 minutes to hold off 30th-ranked Mertens and claim a spot in the Stuttgart quarterfinals for the third straight year.

The winner speaks: "I'm really happy with the way I played," Swiatek told the press. "First match on clay, so it's always tricky. Elise was really good. Sometimes at defense I had to be patient and really work for the points. So I'm happy with the way I handled it.

"That's one of the things you have to switch from hard court, you have to be ready for longer rallies and for players to be able to get back more. And also, I can use that. I can also get back more balls. So it works both ways, but you have to switch that mindset to be more patient."

Fast facts: Two-time defending champion Swiatek remains undefeated at the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix, improving to 9-0 at the event with her latest win over Mertens of Belgium. Poland's Swiatek has defeated World No.2 Aryna Sabalenka in each of the last two Stuttgart finals.

Mertens has accrued many victories in her career, including seven wins over Top 5 opposition, but this was surprisingly her first meeting with Swiatek in singles. Swiatek held sway in their first showdown, converting four of her six break points.

Major champion clash awaits: Swiatek will next face 2021 US Open champion Emma Raducanu in the quarterfinals. Raducanu defeated Linda Noskova 6-0, 7-5 to clinch her spot in the elite eight.

The showdown between the Grand Slam champions will be a rematch of their 2022 Stuttgart quarterfinal, which Swiatek won 6-4, 6-4. Four-time major champion Swiatek also defeated Raducanu 6-3, 6-1 at Indian Wells last year to take a 2-0 lead in their head-to-head.

wtatennis.com

Feels like forever since Iga was back on the red stuff (not even the real stuff really) just indoor. But I've missed it. 

She's like a different player on it. Just an absolute joy to watch. Bit like the artistry Roger showed on grass over the years. 

So happy she'll be playing Raducanu instead of Noskova in the quarters was getting really tired of seeing her name on Iga's side of the draw this year. 

Really looking forward to tomorrow. 

Jazda!

Iga Swiatek celebrates 99th week as World #1

STUTTGART, Germany -- Iga Swiatek is back in her happy place at the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix. The World No.1 is the two-time defending champion at the Porsche-Arena and was the picture of peace and excitement after her first practice of the season on clay.

"I'm happy to be back on this surface," Swiatek told reporters at Media Day in Stuttgart. "Obviously I really like it and I missed it. It's nice to be back.

"Also I love this tournament. I have really great memories. Hopefully I'm going to create some more memories this year."

Swiatek has more than just memories from this tournament, where she is a perfect 8-0. She also has the two Porsches she's won. And unlike regular tournament trophies, these aren't gathering much dust at home.

"When I'm practicing a lot and I'm tired, I like to have peace in my car," Swiatek said. "I really like how comfortable the Panamera is. Really, I mean, sometimes I'm putting loud music, but overall it's pretty quiet, pretty smooth. Still you can feel the sporty vibe.

"Sometimes I like to drive a little bit faster, but not too crazy. Obviously I have so much adrenaline on the court that sometimes I don't need any more off the court. I also have 911 at home. When I want to mix it up, I jump into the 911."

At that point in her answer, Swiatek laughed. Even she had to acknowledge how ridiculous this embarrassment of riches sounded.

"Sorry, it sounds weird," Swiatek said, "but I'm pretty proud of how I played during these past years here in Stuttgart. It's amazing we can have such a prize for winning. Pretty crazy."

On Monday, the three-time Roland Garros champion looked at ease as she practiced in the shadow of the lavender Porsche Taycan 4S Sport Turismo that awaits this year's tournament champion. Swiatek arrived in Stuttgart on Saturday after delivering Poland into the Billie Jean King Cup Finals. Playing on indoor hard courts in Switzerland, Swiatek went 2-0 over the weekend to close out her spring hard-court season.

"I felt today that I can do the transition pretty quickly," Swiatek said. "I'm not expecting that I'm going to feel comfortable from my first match because you always need some matches to just gain confidence on any surface, even if you feel comfortable on it."

After a first-round bye, Swiatek will begin her quest for a three-peat against Belgium's Elise Mertens. She is bidding to become the first player to sweep the event in three consecutive years since Maria Sharapova did so a decade ago. She is an outstanding 63-9 on clay in her career, a winning percentage of 87.5 percent. The next best percentage among active players? Simona Halep at 72.9 percent.

Swiatek is checking off statistical milestones on a near-weekly basis, and this week is no exception. As the clay season begins, Swiatek is spending her 99th week at World No.1, passing Lindsay Davenport to sit at No.9 on the all-time list. She will celebrate her centennial week during the Mutua Madrid Open.

"Honestly, yeah, this is one of these stats actually [that make me sit up and take notice]," Swiatek said. "I think overall, that I'm in the Top 10 of all time in terms of weeks at No. 1, I wouldn't expect that ever a couple of years back."

Cumulative Weeks at World No.1:

1. Stefanie Graf: 377
2. Martina Navratilova: 332
3. Serena Williams: 319
4. Chris Evert: 260
5. Martina Hingis: 209
6. Monica Seles: 178
7. Ashleigh Barty: 121
8. Justine Henin: 117
9. Iga Swiatek: 99 (as of April 15)
10. Lindsay Davenport: 98

wtatennis.com

Iga Swiatek beats Sabalenka to win 2nd straight Stuttgart Open

World No.1 Iga Swiatek successfully defended her Porsche Tennis Grand Prix title on Sunday, finishing up her triumphant week by defeating World No.2 Aryna Sabalenka 6-3, 6-4 in a hard-hitting championship match.

In a rematch of last year’s final, the top two players in the Hologic WTA Tour rankings blasted the ball for 1 hour and 50 minutes before Swiatek captured her 13th career singles title on the indoor clay of Stuttgart.

"I wanted to win really, really hard, but I knew that I can't really focus on that and just I have to keep doing my job as I did on previous matches," Swiatek said afterwards. "I'm pretty happy that I could kind of have good mentality and just focus on what I want to do tennis-wise."

Stuttgart streak continues: On Sunday, Swiatek maintained her undefeated career record at the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix (8-0 in her two appearances) and improved to 13-3 in WTA singles finals overall. Swiatek now holds a 5-2 win-loss record against Sabalenka in their rivalry.

By winning her second singles trophy of the year, Swiatek tied Sabalenka and Belinda Bencic for the most titles won so far this season. Sunday’s victory was also Swiatek’s 20th match-win of the year.

Swiatek defended a title for the third time in her career, having previously done so at 2022 Rome and at Doha this year. Swiatek has pulled off two of the three title defenses on tour so far this season; the other was Tatjana Maria’s Bogota title defense from earlier this month.

1 vs. 2: The Stuttgart showdown marked the first time the world’s top two-ranked players met in a WTA singles final since No.2 Caroline Wozniacki beat No.1 Simona Halep for the 2018 Australian Open title.

It was also the first clay-court final between the world’s top two-ranked players in almost a decade -- the last one came at 2013 Roland Garros, where No.1 Serena Williams defeated No.2 Maria Sharapova for the title.

Sabalenka consistency: Reigning Australian Open champion Sabalenka will still exit Stuttgart as the match-win leader for the year, having accrued 23 match-wins thus far in 2023. Sabalenka will also retain her current position as No.1 in the Race to the WTA Finals.

However, Sabalenka is still seeking her first Stuttgart title, despite reaching the final in each of the last three years. Sabalenka was stopped by the World No.1 on all of those occasions, finishing runner-up to Ashleigh Barty in 2021 before her two losses to Swiatek.

Match moments: Power hitting was present from both players all match long on Sunday. Swiatek, though, used her superb defense to extend the eighth game of the match, and she was rewarded with the only break of the first set after she crushed a forehand return winner down the line.

After breaking in the opening game of the second set, Swiatek fell behind 0-30 in her next two service games. But the top seed pulled herself out of peril to eke out more close games, and she eventually wrapped up the match with a love service hold.

Swiatek erased the lone break point she faced in the match, and she won 14 of Sabalenka’s 22 second-service points on the day.

wtatennis.com

A world class performance from the World #1. Finals Iga showed up today, just as always another level of excellence. 

Best match of the year for Iga (thus far).

Only one breakpoint to save and held serve all match, redirected and defused Sabalenka's power with her foot speed and athleticism. 

First back to back Stuttgart Champion since Angie Kerber.  

3rd career title defense. Next stop Madrid (one of the few clay court titles Iga has yet to win). 

Youngest player to win 6+ WTA clay courts titles since Martina Hingis when she won Hamburg in 2000. Queen. 

13th career WTA title. 

Jazda!

Draw for Madrid just came out. Rybakina in the quarters of course.

Good. I'm ready for Iga to finally get a win over her this year on her best surface. 

Let's go!.

Iga Swiatek reaches 2nd consecutive final in Stuttgart after Ons Jabeur retirement

 

                                                  Images that break your heart :(

STUTTGART -- World No.1 Iga Swiatek advanced to her second straight Porsche Tennis Grand Prix final after No.4 Ons Jabeur was forced to retire down 3-0 in the semifinals with a left calf injury.

Swiatek will face No.2 Aryna Sabalenka in Sunday's final. The Australian Open champion dropped just three games against Anastasia Potapova to advance to her third straight Stuttgart final.

The much-anticipated first meeting of the season between Swiatek and Jabeur ended prematurely when the Tunisian began to struggle with her left leg after the first game of the match. After chasing down a ball on the last point of the first game, Jabeur called a medical timeout and received treatment and tape on her calf.

"The third point, I don't know what happened," Jabeur said. "I was really excited to play Iga today, it's always a fun matchup between us. I wish her the best luck for the final.

"I'm sorry guys, I really tried to run, but Iga never makes it easy."

Jabeur played on for two more games but was visibly hampered in her movement and serve. After Swiatek held for a 3-0 lead, Jabeur consulted with the physio one more time before crossing the net to shake Swiatek's hand. The loss ended Jabeur's seven-match win streak. She will now race to prepare for her title defense next week at the Mutua Madrid Open.

"I don't know what Ons' situation is, but I really respect the fact that she came out and she tried and she wanted to see how it's going to go," Swiatek said.

"I told her we're probably going to play the Roland Garros final, so we'll see each other there. She's a fighter, so she's going to be back quick. I just hope it's nothing serious."

On Sunday, Swiatek will face Sabalenka in a rematch of last year's Stuttgart final, which Swiatek won 6-2, 6-2. She leads the head-to-head 4-2, but Sabalenka snapped her four-match losing streak last fall by winning their last meeting at the 2022 WTA Finals, 6-2, 2-6, 6-1.

Swiatek is bidding to become the first player to defend the title since Angelique Kerber in 2016. The 22-year-old has yet to lose a match in Stuttgart and extended her tournament record to 7-0.

Sabalenka has also enjoyed consistent success at the Porsche Arena. She is into the final for the third consecutive year. In 2021, she finished as the runner-up to Ashleigh Barty (2021), and in 2022, she fell to Swiatek. For the third straight year, Sabalenka will face a reigning No.1 for the title.

"Aryna is a great player and she's in great shape," Swiatek said. "I have to be ready to play my best tennis. For sure, this surface is -- we both like clay court -- but it's a little bit faster than most of the clay courts. I'm gonna have to be ready on my return and just for the fast pace."

Sabalenka won just four games off Swiatek in the final last year, but Sabalenka insists it's a different scenario this time. Swiatek may be No.1, but Sabalenka is now a reigning Australian Open champion who sits atop the Race to the WTA Finals Leaderboard. The serving woes that derailed her last season are gone, replaced by a steely and calm mentality that has allowed her to notch a tour-leading 23 wins this season.

"Last year I was struggling a lot with a lot of things, especially my serve," Sabalenka said. "This year I feel like a different player, different person right now. So I feel I'm much calmer on court."

Stuttgart will be Sabalenka's fourth final of the season (Adelaide 1, Australian Open, Indian Wells) and Swiatek's third (Doha, Dubai). A win on Sunday would be the 13th title for either player.

Reflecting on her return from a 45-day break from competition with a rib injury, Swiatek said she couldn't be happier with how she has handled the week in Stuttgart.

"Even yesterday's match [against Pliskova], even though the beginning wasn't easy, second set and third set I played much better and I improved then," Swiatek said. "That was a great experience to have. The first one against Qinwen as well.

"I'm just happy that I can play good tennis, even though I wasn't practicing a lot and even though my break was pretty long. I'm happy that I could just be here and enjoy this. Honestly, I have only positive thoughts."

wtatennis.com

That's certainly not the way this semi final was suppose to go. 

Happy for Iga, but absolutely gutted for Ons Jabeur. 

After just getting back in form too (with the knee surgery) and winning a title on green clay in Charleston. 

Damn you tennis gods!. 

Hoping it's nothing serious and wishing a very speedy recovery to Ons. 

So we've got a repeat of last year's final with a better serving Sabalenka (who's always a hit and miss for me).  

Still not a fan of her grunting and screaming and especially her behavior after the final loss in Stuttgart last year. 

Came off really bratty.

It's gonna be tough, Iga will have to be on it from the get go, and probably do a lot of running. 

But if both play well will make for one hell of a quality final. 

Jazda Iga, we believe in you!.

Iga Swiatek battles past Pliskova to reach back to back semis in Stuttgart

 

STUTTGART -- World No.1 Swiatek will face No.4 Ons Jabeur in the semifinals of the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix. The defending champion booked her return to the Stuttgart semifinals by coming back from a set down to defeat 2018 champion Karolina Pliskova 4-6, 6-1, 6-2 in the quarterfinals.


The only previous time Swiatek and Pliskova met came in the 2021 Rome final, which Swiatek won 6-0, 6-0. On Friday night at the Porsche Arena, Pliskova quickly wiped away her memories of that day. Taking advantage of a slow start from Swiatek, Pliskova raced out to a 4-0 lead after just 17 minutes. But Swiatek gradually found her rhythm and took advantage of Pliskova's serve to turn the match around.

"Overall I felt like at the beginning I couldn't really focus," Swiatek said. "When she's serving, these are like really milliseconds that matter. So I feel like I was playing already good tennis at the end of the first set, but it was already too late kind of to even the score."

Swiatek responded by winning the first four games of the second and raced to the finish line to force the first deciding set of her season. After breaking for a 2-1 lead, Swiatek came through the biggest game of the match, saving two break points to consolidate the lead to 3-1. Swiatek protected her lead well from there, closing out the win after 2 hours and 1 minute.

Swiatek will now face Jabeur for a sixth time, with the World No.1 holding a narrow 3-2 lead in their head-to-head series. Swiatek won their two high-stakes meetings last year. The first came in the Rome final, which Swiatek won 6-2, 6-2 to defend her title. The second came in the US Open final, where she prevailed 6-2, 7-6(5) to win her second major title of the season.

"For sure when you have Ons, you're not gonna expect an easy match," Swiatek said. "It's gonna be a little bit different than most of the matches you play. You have to be ready for different game style. It's pretty exciting, but when you're out there on court it's tough."
Jabeur did not sound intimidated by the prospect of facing Swiatek once again. The Tunisian is full of confidence as she rides a seven-match win streak into the semifinals. Fresh off her first title of the season in Charleston, Jabeur advanced to her first Stuttgart semifinal off two very different wins. She rallied from a 6-1, 5-3 deficit to defeat Jelena Ostapenko 1-6, 7-5, 6-3 in her opener. In the quarterfinals she took a more direct route, playing a near-perfect match to drop only three games to Beatriz Haddad Maia.

As Jabeur looks to make a second consecutive final, she is relishing a chance to avenge last year's two losses. She's the only player to post more wins on clay (40) than Swiatek (39) since the start of the 2020 season.

"The good thing maybe, Iga is not at the same level as she was last year," Jabeur said after the quarterfinals. "I'm gonna really focus on playing like I played her on grass at Wimbledon [in 2021].

"I think maybe the key is to be unpredictable with Iga, not knowing which shots I'm gonna do. I think that's really good to disturb her a lot."

With her win over Pliskova, Swiatek improved to 6-0 in Stuttgart for her career. She is bidding to become the first player to defend the title since Angelique Kerber went back-to-back in 2015 and 2016. Playing her first tournament in over a month after being sidelined by a rib injury, Swiatek is into her fourth semifinal of the season.

"With Ons, these matches are always really just tight so every point matters."

"I just hope it's gonna be a nice match, because I'm pretty happy that I'm back and I can just play in front of audience and feel these emotions. Even though my break wasn't really long, I feel like I really missed that."

wtatennis.com

Wow. What a match this was. 

I expected Pliskova to play well because you can't play worse than she did in Rome, but I didn't expect her to be this good. 

After Iga lost the first set I was fearing the worst, given her record in 3 setters this season. But she proved us all wrong and showed that on clay especially she knows how to solve problems and fight. 

It was wonderful to see. 

Some of the defense Pliskova made Iga put on, was world class/world #1 stuff. 

The score makes it look easy but, the third set was anything but!. So proud of Iga, and just so darn happy she's healthy and able to play her game. 

Because she really does bring excellence to the sport. 

So now it's Ons Jabeur next, honestly with her style of game you can't really prepare yourself because you just don't know what she's gonna do from one shot to the next. 

But I'm hoping Iga's speed and athleticism will help her counter the variety (and certainly the dropshots)

It's not gonna be easy, and whatever happens it's gonna be fun.

Jazda!.

Iga Swiatek makes triumphant return to Stuttgart

 

She's back: World No.1 Iga Swiatek made a winning return to the Hologic WTA Tour with a commanding Round 2 victory to open her title defense at the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix.

Swiatek needed 1 hour and 26 minutes to defeat China's Zheng Qinwen 6-1, 6-4, extending her unbeaten run in Stuttgart to five matches.


Swiatek moves through to a quarterfinal match against former champion and former World No.1 Karolina Pliskova, who outlasted Donna Vekic in 2 hours and 20 minutes, in a third-set tiebreak, to advance to the final eight.

"I felt like I needed to be 100% focused from the beginning to the end, to think about technique and tactics," Swiatek said afterwards. "I'm pretty happy that I'm not rusty and I could perform good tennis, even though I had a break."

Quick start, strong finish: Playing for the first time in 45 days, Swiatek hardly missed a beat to extend her head-to-head lead over Zheng to 3-0.

She broke the reigning WTA Newcomer of the Year twice in each set to wrap up a straight-sets win, having been pushed to three sets by Zheng in each of their last three matches.

Swiatek didn't face a break point in her first seven service games, and was only pushed to deuce once, en route to building a 6-1, 4-2 lead. After Zheng captured back-to-back games with gritty play -- a scintillating backhand winner setting up her first break point of the match in the eighth game of the second set -- Swiatek had the answers to the challenge.

Challenge accepted: After denying Zheng two points for her first lead of the match, Swiatek broke her for a fourth time and served the match out to 15.

"She's really talented, and everybody can see that," Swiatek said. "I needed to adjust, and I'm just happy that I was focused on myself, on what I wanted to do ... and I feel pretty comfortable. So I'm happy that I could show my good tennis."

Overall, Swiatek showed no signs of the rib injury that forced her out of the Miami Open and Poland's Billie Jean King Cup Qualifier.

'I'm not injured anymore': Swiatek looking to reset in Stuttgart

She landed 62% of her first serves in victory, winning 84% of those points.

Scouting Pliskova vs. Swiatek: Swiatek and Pliskova have only played once previously, but it was memorable. Swiatek won 6-0, 6-0 in the final of the Internazionali BNL d'Italia in 2021, a match in which she lost only 13 points.

The two were expected to play in the quarterfinals of the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships this February, but Pliskova was forced to withdraw ahead of the match due to illness.

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I have missed her on court so much!. So great to have her back, happy and healthy and ready for the challenges on tour. 

Tomorrow's match with Pliskova could be interesting, once she gets past that it'd be Haddad Maia or Ons Jabeur than a possible repeat of last year's final with Sabalenka. 

Though I'm hoping she goes out before then. I'm actually a little sad Ons and Iga couldn't meet in the final instead. 

Iga Swiatek ready for reset in Stuttgart title defense Thursday

STUTTGART -- Iga Swiatek assured reporters she is fully fit ahead of her title defense at the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix.

In March, the World No.1 Swiatek was forced to withdraw ahead of the Miami Open and Billie Jean King Cup Qualifiers with a rib injury sustained during her run to the Indian Wells semifinals.

"I'm not injured anymore, so that's the most important thing for me," Swiatek said at Media Day in Stuttgart. "I feel like I used that time in Warsaw well to rest a little bit and to not think about tennis.

"I have still been working out physically a little bit and obviously coming back to practicing step by step. Here I am, and I think I'm ready."

Last year, in the midst of her 37-match win streak, Swiatek made her tournament debut in Stuttgart and proceeded to roll to her fourth consecutive title. Facing No.3 seed Aryna Sabalenka in the final, Swiatek cruised to a 6-2, 6-2 win.

While a number of top players like Caroline Garcia, Coco Gauff and Elena Rybakina were tied up with Billie Jean King Cup duties last week, Swiatek arrived to the Porsche Arena early and has kept her days busy with intense practice sessions. Hitting sessions with Barbora Krejcikova, Donna Vekic and Caroline Garcia have knocked off any residual rust she might have felt after her break.

"It's pretty easy to kind of just imagine that you are doing the same stuff on a match," Swiatek said of her practices. "So I really use that to kind of get my focus 100 percent and imagine what decisions I would make during the match.

"So I would say, I'm ready. We'll see on court, but honestly, these practices tell me that I play like I wouldn't even had a break. So it's pretty nice.

"I feel like after my experiences with injuries, like when I was younger, 2019, I always came back fast. So I hope it's not gonna change when I'm gonna get older, but I feel like I'm still capable to do that."

Swiatek will face a challenge in her opening match Thursday against China's Zheng Qinwen. The World No.25 has taken a set off Swiatek in both their previous meetings. Zheng has every reason to be confident going into their next match. As opposed to their first two matches, which came last year at the French Open and San Diego, Zheng says she's fully fit for this encounter.

"First time when I meet her, she was No.1 in the world, [and] I was coming from nowhere," Zheng said after her straight-sets win against Alycia Parks in the first round. "First time for me to play in that atmosphere.

"I think now I get a little bit more experience. I wish in the next match I can have a good performance. I want to show my best tennis."

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Champions Corner: Stuttgart champ Swiatek on her new car, memes and more

STUTTGART, Germany -- Iga Swiatek wants to entertain you. The World No.1 made that clear once again at the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix, where she extended her winning streak to 23 consecutive matches to win her fourth straight title.

Swiatek came into her first clay event of the season fresh off a dominating performance for Poland at the Billie Jean King Cup but her commitment to the national competition meant little time to get begin her adjustment to clay.

Just four days after her last hard-court match, Swiatek played her opening round in Stuttgart and proceeded to defeat Eva Lys, Emma Raducanu, Liudmila Samsonova and No.4 Aryna Sabalenka to win her third clay-court title. Her 3-hour and 3-minute win over Samsonova was the longest match of her career, earning a 6-7(4), 6-4, 7-5 victory.

"Well, this is another tournament where I surprised myself," Swiatek told reporters after the win. "That I can do it and basically that I don’t need to be 100 percent perfectly prepared or I don’t need to feel 100 percent to still play really good tennis and play solid matches. The transition was pretty quick and I had a lot of doubts. I just didn’t want to really focus on that and I just focused on what I have influence on. So, yeah, this is another tournament that has shown me that I can do it no matter what."

The World No.1 joined the WTA Insider Podcast to try and wrap her mind around what she's achieved over the last nine weeks before discussing her love of cats, confetti and memes.

WTA Insider: You said in your press conference that you had a lot of doubts coming into this tournament. What were those doubts and how did you address them throughout the week?

Swiatek: Basically the last time I played on clay was a year ago, so I wasn't sure how well I was going to transition and whether I could actually do it in two days. Before the first match I think I spent two hours on court. I always heard that this surface is tricky and it's weird and different than any other. So that's why I had most of my doubts, basically.

I'm pretty proud of myself that during the tournament I was able to adjust and to learn, because before it wasn't that easy. Right now I feel like during I can learn a lot so it's just more peaceful at the beginning because I can trust my skills and my abilities a little bit more.

WTA Insider: Do you feel like you're on autopilot?

Swiatek: Not really. Today it was a good day for me to be in the zone and be really focused, but yesterday I felt like I need to put more and more work in every game to stay focused. So yesterday I didn't feel I was on autopilot because every day is different. You wake up and you can feel that. Many thoughts are running through your head and you know it's going to be harder to stay focused.

So yes, I still feel like every day is different and some moments are tricky. So I don't feel like I'm on autopilot, but for sure I feel like I can use my skills better and better and play more efficient tennis and be more smart on the court.

WTA Insider: You were in Stuttgart without your coach Tomasz Wiktorowski and sports psychologist Daria Abramowicz. But your father and fitness coach were here. What was it like to navigate going to a new tournament, with unique conditions, without your full team?

Swiatek: Honestly, all these things are something I have to adjust to, but on the other hand, they are letting you play without expectations because you know that it's different and you know that you can make some mistakes and you have to accept that. So even when everything is not perfect it's kind of easier to play because you're going to forgive yourself if you're going to make some mistakes. You're going to say 'Hey, it's my first time here, stay cool, let's just gain experience.' But still, you have to do the work. I think I did that good this week.

It didn't matter for me if my whole team is here or not because on court I'm by myself anyway. But for sure at some points, I felt like I was missing some of the people I lean on. But tactically I could prepare the same way because my coach, we had daily talks about how I'm feeling here and what I can do better. He has so much experience from being on tour and being so many times here being with Agnieszka, so I really wanted to use that.

Daria was also talking to me. We had a few sessions this week, must overall about the clay season and my feelings here and how I can shift my focus from all these doubts to actually working harder and finding solutions and maybe being excited about having the challenges that I have. So we worked a lot on my attitude. They're working really hard even though their bodies are not here. So all credit to my team because without them I would be really confused here.

WTA Insider: Do you have a sense that you're doing something special right now?

Swiatek: When I let myself not be a tennis player but be someone who's observing tennis, I can feel that.

WTA Insider: What were you doing to pass the time this week?

Swiatek: I just got one day off. I wanted to have some peaceful time in my hotel room because before I had Billie Jean King Cup and then I had to practice here and think a lot about the surface and analyze a lot. So I used this day off to rest properly and not be occupied by all the stuff that is going on. The amount of media and autographs I've done since Doha has been kind of crazy. For sure having this one day off helped me recover better. I'm not saying it's a negative thing. It's just new things you have to do.

WTA Insider: It was a sold-out final and we saw a lot of Polish flags flying. Are you used to your stature with fans?

Swiatek: I am kind of used to it, but still I want to use it the right way in matches when I have the right situations. I saw before some matches where players took a lot from the crowd and they could come back in matches. But it's pretty easy for me because I always wanted to play for people and it's natural for me to be in front of the crowd. The first few matches after Covid it was pretty hard to focus properly but honestly, I love it.

WTA Insider: Are you excited about taking home the Porsche Taycan?

Swiatek: Yes, for sure. It's a pretty weird position that I'm in because I just did my driver's license six months ago. I'm super excited. It was a great week because I got to learn a lot about the cars and getting excited and fascinated by other stuff than tennis. It's something new because for a while I was just occupied with tennis.

My physio knows a lot about cars so he's going to help me choose the proper one. I don't know if you know that, but I'm not really good at making decisions.

WTA Insider: So I have to ask you about the water bottle spill during the semifinals. What happened there?

Swiatek: It wasn't water, so I'm lucky it didn't go to my shoe because it was going to be sticky. There were carbs and I wanted to shake them. For a second I didn't know what is going on. I saw the cameraman and I thought, 'Shoot, he must be laughing.'

I know there's a nice GIF of that on the internet. That's also entertainment. I'm pretty happy that I'm entertaining to people.

WTA Insider: You've become a bit of a meme queen on social media.

Swiatek: Honestly, I was already a meme queen at my middle school. But that was pretty mean from the other kids. But I was. Maybe that's another thing I was born to do. I don't know if I should be happy or sad about that.

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Iga Swiatek wins 4th straight title of the year in Stuttgart

 

World No.1 Iga Swiatek just keeps on winning. The Polish star won her fourth consecutive title and her 23rd straight match with a 6-2, 6-2 victory over No.3 seed Aryna Sabalenka in the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix final on Sunday.


Swiatek made her Stuttgart tournament debut a triumphant one by completing her week with a commanding 84-minute victory over the fourth-ranked Sabalenka. Swiatek collected her seventh career Hologic WTA Tour singles title.

Iga yet to be stopped: Swiatek’s winning streak began with a title run at WTA 1000 Doha, and she remained undefeated at WTA 1000 events this year by sweeping through the Sunshine Double of Indian Wells and Miami.

Two additional wins for her Polish squad at Billie Jean King Cup qualifying gave Swiatek a 19-match winning streak coming into the indoor clay of WTA 500 Stuttgart.

Liudmila Samsonova pushed Swiatek to the limit in Saturday’s semifinals, snapping the top seed’s run of 28 straight sets won in the process. But Swiatek pulled through that match in three hours to set up a meeting against Sabalenka, where the No.1 once again swept through a final.

After the match, Swiatek said joining the other players in the list of longest win streaks since 2000 is "pretty surreal, honestly. A few years ago I wouldn’t even think about being in this kind of group.

"For sure right now I need to work harder to keep this streak, but I’m just going to take it match by match, and I’m super proud of myself and really satisfied. These are the kind of players who were role models when I was growing up."

Aside from losing her first final to Polona Hercog as a 17-year-old in 2019, Swiatek has been dominant in finals. She has won seven finals in a row since then without dropping a set and has lost no more than five games total in each of those championship matches.

Swiatek is now the first player to win 30 matches this season and improved her 2022 record to 30-3. After dropping her first meeting with Sabalenka at last year's Akron WTA Finals, Swiatek has won their following two clashes in straight sets.

"I worked hard this week to adjust properly and to play my best tennis on this surface," Swiatek said. "I’m pretty proud of myself and pretty proud of my team because basically after yesterday’s match, it wasn’t easy to reset physically and mentally and be ready for today."

Tale of the final: Swiatek had to save a break point in the opening game with a rally crosscourt backhand, but she methodically moved through the set from there, surviving a patch of brilliant Sabalenka backhands as the Pole picked off big points in a handful of tight games. An untimely double fault by Sabalenka on set point ceded the opener to Swiatek.

The 2021 Stuttgart runner-up Sabalenka toughed out a service hold from break point down at 1-1 in the second set, deploying multiple forehand winners down the line. But Swiatek found perfect placement on her shots down the stretch, grabbing the last four games to finish off the final and grasp her latest trophy.

All told, Swiatek’s 17 winners outpaced Sabalenka’s 13, and the top seed won 77 percent of her first-service points. She was never broken on the day.

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What can I say at this point honestly. 

Just beyond amazing, how Iga is able to keep doing this. Especially after such a long physical match the night prior. 

I was a bit disappointed with Sabalenka's performance I expected it to be more of a contest given she has actually been playing well in this tournament.. 

But  at the same time I'm not surprised by it she has always been very hot and cold. When her serve is working she's hard to stop, when it's not her whole game falls apart. 

She doesn't have a plan B beyond the serve and that's always been the issue. 

Iga on the other hand has learned to problem solve when her serve isn't working. And her mental resolve this year has just been on another level. 

The way she can focus and play point by point is the mark of  so many great champions. And makes her very difficult to beat. 

Samsonova nearly managed it. But I think winning that one just give Iga even more confidence she's doing the right things. 

I will add I was not at all impressed with Sabalanka's attitude and speech at the trophy ceremony. Came off sounding very petty and immature. 

Obviously she very badly wanted to win the car given how much she's been talking about it. 

Totally get it.  

But the words she chose and her whole demeaner came off very disingenuous and just rubbed me the wrong way. 

But back to Iga, let's see so this make it 4 title in a row, career title #7, a 23 match win streak and a win loss record of 30-3 matches for the year. Insane levels of good.  

Playing like a true world #1.

It's a good thing Iga finally got that drivers license this year so she can enjoy that amazing ride. 

The word Jazda is going to have a whole new meaning for her when she's driving around in that Porsche. 

Congratulations Iga you continue to awe and amaze the sport of tennis and it's so fun to watch you do it. 

Get some well deserved rest, and see you in Madrid!