Iga Swiatek on her pride at Australian Open run and trying to emulate Ashleigh Barty

Poland's Iga Swiatek, who won the 2020 French Open title as a 19-year-old, is the latest WTA Tour star to feature in a BBC Sport column.


After losing to Danielle Collins in the Australian Open semi-finals, Swiatek talks about her pride of consistently going deep at the Grand Slams, her motivation to dominate the majors and knowing which areas of her game she needs to improve.


Even though I lost in the semi-finals here in Melbourne, my thoughts shortly after the match are that I'm really proud of myself, particularly of my consistency at the Grand Slams.

I have reached at least the fourth round in the past six Grand Slam tournaments - something which no other player has done in the women's singles.

For a few years now, there have been a lot of different women's Grand Slam champions and not one player dominating them in the way, for example, Serena Williams used to.

I am aware of the unpredictability in the Grand Slams and it does motivate me. I want to be that player who is being consistent.

Ash Barty has been the world number one for a long time and is showing you can be consistent at the highest level. With my results, I'm not at her level but I'm only 20 and maybe I will get there in a few years.

She is the kind of player who is giving me hope that I can do that.

Of course I am aware of how open the Grand Slams can be. Even though I try not to look at the draws when I'm playing, it is impossible not to be aware of what's happening.

So I have thought, actually, I could be the one who can find that consistency in them.

Iga Swiatek's Grand Slam performances
	Australian Open	French Open	Wimbledon	US Open
2021	4R	QF	4R	4R
2020	4R	W	-	3R
2019	2R	4R	1R	2R

I'm not winning lots of tournaments yet but getting to the second week of the Grand Slams right now - at my age and at this stage of my career - is something which I'm very proud of.

I wouldn't have even thought about this kind of achievement two years ago. I hope I can continue doing that.

Like most top athletes, I don't accept losing. But, right now, I feel calm after losing my semi-final to Danielle Collins because I know how well she played and what mistakes I made.

I have a lot of respect for Danielle, how she can play so fast and can control the ball like that. It's probably the fastest ball speed I've ever played against in a match.

I did everything to loosen up a little bit, to get my first serve in, but sometimes it is not enough.

When it comes to what I've learned from today's match, I'd say there is nothing new. My next goals are very clear to me.

With my serve, I need to continuing practising and I think I need to change my approach to it.

Sometimes I lose matches because of my serve, but if I become too focused on it, I think it will be harder to improve.

There are detailed things I will have to change and my team will guide me. It is hard for me, even though I am the one on court, to see every aspect.

You can always serve better and it will make your match easier. That's the first shot so if you serve perfectly your opponent won't have a chance to play.

For sure, I felt Danielle served really well and I didn't have the chance to make it a rally. I often have situations like that as well, where I do serve well, but I want to make it more consistent.

Perhaps some might say I could have solved things like my first serve earlier, but matches like this happen where it is hard to adjust because of how well your opponent is playing.

I would take as a positive that I'm mentally ready to play important matches like these. And I know what I need to be focused on in terms of playing against heavy hitters and improving my serve.

I also want to be happy about my two previous matches, against Sorana Cirstea and Kaia Kanepi, where I fought back to win after losing the first set.

I feel like I won with my heart in those matches because I was fighting until the end. This tournament was really important for me because I saw I had improved my game on a hard court.

Usually after losing in a tournament I don't want to watch the rest of it, but now I'm really curious to see what might happen in Saturday's final.

I'm particularly curious how Ash is going to play and if Danielle is going to play in the same way or worse.

Ash has been the number one in the world for a long time so I'm sure she can - if anyone can - find a solution for beating Danielle. I think it's a bigger possibility that she will do that than me.

bbc.com

Iga Swiatek falls short of finals at Aussie Open, leaves Melbourne with new found perspective

Iga Swiatek learning quickly

The 20-year-old Polish star knows what it's like to feel invincible on the tennis court. That's why she recognized it right away as a zoning Collins played a pitch-perfect match to win 6-4, 6-1.

"I tried to find solutions, but I can assume what feelings she had today on court, because I do have that feeling sometimes," Swiatek said. "It's kind of hard to stop an opponent when they are playing like that.

"I wasn't thinking like that on the court, but after, I'm not even feeling any regrets because I did the best I could today."

Like Keys, Swiatek leaves Australia far more dangerous than when she arrived. Her bonafides are well-proven on clay, but Swiatek believes she still has plenty of improvements to make to get her game where she wants on hard court. That's a scary thought for a player who just made the Australian Open semifinal.

To make her first hard-court semifinal at a Slam, Swiatek notched back-to-back wins from a set down for the first time in her career, doing so to defeat Sorana Cirstea in the fourth round and Kaia Kanepi in the quarterfinals. On Monday she will return to the Top 5, at No.4.

"[I learned that] I don't have to play perfect tennis to win matches, even on hard court," Swiatek said. "That's my best result on hard court besides winning Adelaide. That's positive, because I always wanted to improve on hard court. I like the fact that I won against Sorana and Kaia, mentally and physically, and I gave my heart on court. So that's great. I'm pretty happy that I'm able to also play aggressive and be ready on fast surfaces."

Swiatek leaves Australia with an 8-2 record to start the season. Her two losses came to the two women who will face off Saturday for the Australian Open title, Ashleigh Barty and Danielle Collins. Having had a close-up look at each of their games, Swiatek was asked to put on her analyst hat.

"It's hard to predict anything, because on one hand, Ash is playing differently," Swiatek said. "She's playing different than any other girl, and she can really reset the rally even when someone is really playing fast.

"She's No.1, so I think it's a bigger possibility that she's gonna find a solution for Danielle's game than me.

"I'm just curious how it's gonna look like in the final, and I'm gonna for sure be watching W and learning."

wtatennis.com

Well it just wasn't to be today, the opponent was too good, and Iga's serve was just not there. I'm sad and disappointed she lost, but proud of the progression she made this tournament and the one prior when it comes to hard courts. 

I'm extremely grateful I got to witness some extraordinary tennis from Iga over the past 10 days. She made the tournament an absolute joy for me to watch, and I will never forget the fantastic fighting spirit she showed coming back from a set down in 2 back to back matches. 

I will be replaying that quarterfinal match point for the rest of this year. 

With this type of form as long as she stays healthy, I have no doubt Iga will have plenty of chances at other tournaments and majors this year. 

Thank you for a fantastic beginning to the year, keep your head held high Iga!. 

We're all proud of you, congrats on reaching world #4 in the WTA rankings. 

Onward to the next one!. 

Jazda!.

Iga Swiatek on reaching Australian Open semi-finals and showing emotion

Poland's Iga Swiatek, who won the 2020 French Open title as a 19-year-old, is the latest WTA Tour star to feature in a BBC Sport column.

After reaching the Australian Open semi-finals with a gruelling win over Estonia's Kaia Kanepi, Swiatek talks about why she is not afraid to show emotion on the court and how watching Tom Hanks' movie The Terminal made her cry.

In the moments immediately after I won my past two matches, I cried and showed a lot of emotion.

At the end of the fourth-round match against Sorana Cirstea, I was very emotional when I walked to my chair and I started sobbing as I crouched on the court.

And then, when I won my quarter-final against Kaia Kanepi, I threw my racquet in the air and screamed. That was a spontaneous action. Usually I don't do things like that!

The match ended up being the longest of my career at three hours one minute and the match point - where I was stretching for every return from way behind the baseline - was particularly crazy.

Both matches cost me a lot of energy and there was a lot of stress during them. So when I won it was like my body said: 'Finally!'

But I can cry when I win and I can cry when I lose.

Some people have the mentality that it is not good to show emotions but I have the opposite view. Sometimes it helps and sometimes it doesn't, that's true, but you have to understand what is needed in the moment.

Against Kaia, I showed some emotion during the match but I wouldn't say it was more than some others. I felt like it helped me turn the match around and eventually win.

Sometimes it is good to let go. Scream, cry, whatever. You can feel better after that.

I don't think it is bad to show emotion. It is part of being honest with the fans and the people. And if I'm going to give everything in a match, then it would cost me a lot to try and keep those emotions inside.

I'm not saying you should cry and shout as much as possible. I'm saying it is about finding your way and doing the best thing for you as an individual character.

It's good to be aware of what is good for you and what is going to help you. Everyone is different and everyone should have their own way of approaching this.

When I have so many emotions sometimes I cry. It doesn't matter if it is a positive reason or a negative reason.

Sometimes it doesn't help and that's why I have a sports psychologist - Daria Abramowicz - working with me and travelling on tour.

Daria teaches me how to navigate my emotions and that enables me to channel them in the right way, which ultimately helps execute my shots and improve my performance.

I was very proud of myself coming through the matches against Sorana and Kaia because I don't have good statistics when it comes to coming back from losing the first set and then winning.

It is hard for me to reset after losing a first set but I did that in both matches. My main emotion was being proud of myself, but I was also very relieved.

For me, a week without crying is not a week. Away from the tennis court, I can be emotional too.

Last week, I was watching a movie called The Terminal starring Tom Hanks and Catherine Zeta-Jones. I don't know if anyone would cry at that movie. But I cried, twice!

I cried when the old man - the janitor in the airport - went in front of the plane and stopped it from taking off. Then I was like: 'Why the hell am I crying?'

I also cry when I'm watching a movie where an animal dies. Sometimes I cry when I finish a book, too.

After reading Gone With The Wind, I cried for 30 minutes and it was the day before a match at the US Open.

Daria, my psychologist, was monitoring me to see if I was going to finish the book on a matchday or not. She knew I would be crying and if I was upset just before the match it wouldn't be so good.

So she encouraged me to finish the book on the evening before - and she was right, I did cry. I still wondered if it would affect my performance the next day but thankfully it didn't.

There are some stressful moments in life, or when I interact with people, when I am not really emotional.

But, when I do need to release emotion on court, I want to show that it does not have to be defined as a weakness in the sports world.

Iga Swiatek was talking to BBC Sport's Jonathan Jurejko at Melbourne Park.

bbc.com

Iga Swiatek into Australian Open semis after another grueling battle

To reach her first Australian Open semifinal, Iga Swiatek had to win the hard way. Trailing Kaia Kanepi by a set and a break, Swiatek dug deep—and deeper still—to win the second-longest women's singles match of the fortnight so far, 4-6, 7-6(2), 6-3.


The 3-hour, 1-minute victory is the longest match of Swiatek's young career at a Grand Slam to date, bettering a 2-hour, 42-minute 6-7(4), 7-5, 7-5 defeat to another Estonian, Anett Kontaveit, in the third round in Australia two years ago.

Comeback queen: Swiatek is now 5-0 in three-set matches at Grand Slams in which she lost the first set.

After winning her first Grand Slam title at the 2020 French Open without the loss of a set, Swiatek has rallied from a set down in each of her last two matches in pursuit of a second major final. She'll face No.27 seed Danielle Collins, a winner in straight sets against France's Alizé Cornet, for the chance to get there.

"I'm pretty proud of myself, especially after matches like that, because coming back from losing the first set it's a new thing for me. Being in the semifinal is great," Swiatek said after the match.

"I'm proud of myself that I can, I'm still able to, find solutions and actually think more on court on what to change because before it wasn't that clear for me. I feel like it's part of the work that we have been doing with [sports psychologist] Daria [Abramowicz] to control my emotions and actually focus on finding solutions."

Conversely, Kanepi drops to 0-7 in her career in major quarterfinals, having won a set for just the second time in those matches. But another giant-killing run by the former World No.15 this fortnight, where she beat both Angelique Kerber and Aryna Sabalenka to reach the last eight, will skyrocket from her current ranking of World No.115 back into the Top 65.

Turning point: Saving eight set points before losing the first set, Swiatek quickly found herself down 6-4, 1-0 as she struggled to match Kanepi's first-strike, power tennis—four winners earned the Estonian a break to begin the second, with a final crunching backhand literally bringing Swiatek to her knees.

0-for-4 on break points in the first set, the sixth time for Swiatek was ultimately the charm. After Kanepi had four game points to extend her lead to 2-0, Swiatek finally broke—aided by two unforced errors by the Estonian—and ran off four games in a row. While Kanepi hit back to win three straight, neither woman was again challenged on serve until the tiebreak, where Swiatek raced out to an early lead and never looked back.

Closing time: With more than 2 hours played through the first two sets, Kanepi's unforced error count swelled in the decider. Swiatek broke four times in the decider, opening up leads of 2-0 and 5-2 after Kanepi surged briefly for 2-2, but needed two games to win the match. Swiatek offered up two double faults and two unforced errors when serving for the match in the seventh game, but refused to be denied in the next game—in more ways than one—on her first match point.

"I wasn't even thinking a lot," Swiatek said of the match point. "I was just running. I was actually thinking where is the biggest probability where she can hit the smash, for example. But I'm doing that every time basically someone does that. Obviously, it's luck that you're gonna go the right way. There is that probability, but you never know what your opponent is gonna do.

"I was pretty lucky, I would say, but on the other hand, I'm happy that I'm doing that, because ... maybe I'm not running to the ball that I'm not gonna hit, but I'm always doing that two steps, you know, to be ready. This time it paid off."

Swiatek on facing Collins: Swiatek and Collins have played once previously, also in Australia. On her way to winning in Adelaide last year, Swiatek beat Collins via retirement in the quarterfinals, 6-2, 3-0.

"I will approach it the same as any other match, really. I have played with some heavy hitters on this tournament already, so I feel like I'm feeling their game on my racquet pretty well," Swiatek said.

"Two matches showed me that even in tough moments I can come back, and I have skills to win matches even when they are really hard.

"For sure it's gonna be hard, and she's in great shape, you can see that, and really like confident. But I also feel that way. I just hope it's gonna be a good match."

wtatennis.com

Is it me, or does Iga enjoy 3 set thrillers at this tournament?. 

Boy what battle this was!. 

I was actually really worried about Iga having to play in the heat of the day (at 98F/37C) and at a set and a break down I was starting to think she had no chance. 

Her opponent was overpowering her, and she was not having a good day serving wise. Every time she was ahead in the match double faults would creep in a total of 12 the highest for her all tournament. 

Which really can be attributed to nerves. And yet somehow she found the will and the grit to hang in there and figured out a way. 

The desire to win once again give her the energy and clarity to get over the line. Still not sure exactly how she managed to stay as composed as she did to be honest, but it was quite something to watch. 

And the way she won match point will be etched in my memory for a long time to come, it was just incredible. She will now play American Danielle Collin who I've just never been a fan of. 

I'm expecting another tough battle, but at least this time it'll be in the late hours of the night instead of the grueling heat of the afternoon. If Iga can recover well enough (and being 20 certainly helps with that) I believe she might actually win it. 

Her last 2 comebacks from a set down have given me enough belief to feel good about it.  Whatever happens, you can bet all of Poland will be watching and cheering with all their might, at home and abroad. 

 Jazda!

Iga Swiatek on meeting Rafael Nadal & being a role model

Poland's Iga Swiatek, who shot to fame by winning the 2020 French Open title as a 19-year-old, is the latest WTA Tour star to feature in a BBC Sport column.


After beating Russia's Daria Kasatkina on Saturday to reach the Australian Open last 16, Swiatek talks about meeting her idol Rafael Nadal, becoming a role model herself and how she aims to help youngsters in Poland through charity work.

I have never considered myself as a role model. I have only been on tour for three years and I'm still at the very beginning of my career, so it is hard to think of myself that way.

But I meet kids - particularly in Poland - that are really excited when they see me. That gives extra motivation and inspires me.


It's strange because I remember when I was their age - it was not that long ago!

It is really great I can make their day somehow and I really like that. I remember getting autographs myself at a WTA tournament in Warsaw where I was a ball kid.

I still have all the autographs, I think they are maybe in the attic. I was a ball girl at a Caroline Wozniacki match which was cool because she has Polish roots and she was one of the best players in the world.

I remember when I was throwing that ball to her I was really stressed that it would not reach her! But it was so exciting. I had never been at a top sports event like that and seeing the best players so close made my year.

When I see these kids are excited to see me, I'm still sometimes surprised. I'm not used to it yet. When I'm just living my life at home I'm just Iga and the same person I was a few years ago.

Of course I've changed because I'm growing up and developing as a person and a player. But I have the same values and treat myself the same way.

You may have heard I'm a big fan of Rafael Nadal and when I met him for the first time it was pretty cool to see he is down to earth.

He was really humble and it doesn't seem like the success has changed him. If I'm going to win more Grand Slam titles and have more success in my career then I hope I will be like Rafa.

At Roland Garros last year we hit together on court. When we met it felt surreal. I was super excited and I could not stop smiling for about five minutes.

I wanted to see how Rafa was in real life and he was making fun of his forehand which is crazy because he has the best forehand ever in my opinion.

I remember at my first Grand Slam I had to push myself to get his autograph because I was nervous. So hitting with him a few years later was the kind of moment where you can see how much progress you have made and what you have been through.

ventually I want to have a foundation of my own - like Rafa and other players - and one which gives tennis scholarships to young kids in Poland.

I know how hard it was for my dad to invest in me. I don't want other talented kids to have the same problems that I had at the beginning.

They might not have the money for training or physiotherapy so I want to try and make it easier for them to develop.

It's not a specific plan yet, just an idea. At the moment I need to focus on my career so will develop that when I am a little older.

But over the past couple of years, since winning Roland Garros really, I have started doing work with charities in Poland.

At Indian Wells last year, I decided to give my third-round prize money to two mental health organisations in Poland which help kids. That was a spontaneous decision which I made because it was World Mental Health Day.

I work with one of Poland's biggest charities which supports a children's health service - The Great Orchestra of Christmas Charity - and recently I gave them the racquet with which I won the Rome title last year.

That will be auctioned, along with the chance for a practice with me.

Another of the organisations I support is The Noble Gift, a project helping families and children struggling with poverty.

Last Christmas, I helped a family where a father and daughter were diagnosed with cancer and they needed money for the therapy.

These things are not time consuming for me, but I do it because I find it is satisfying to help others.

Also, since turning professional and winning big tournaments, I have the money to try to make a difference. I know other people don't have that luxury.

Changing perceptions of other people who might not be aware of these issues - particularly in Poland - is another reason.

Maybe I can have a little influence and if I can make it better somehow for some people then I will be happy.


Iga Swiatek was talking to BBC Sport's Jonathan Jurejko at Melbourne Park.

bbc.com

Iga Swiatek wins 3 set thriller to reach first Australian Open quarterfinal

Iga Swiatek was pushed to three sets for the first time at this year's Australian Open, but the No.7 seed from Poland eventually prevailed against Sorana Cirstea 5-7, 6-3, 6-3 on Monday to reach her first quarterfinal at this event.

The 2020 Roland Garros champion will meet the unseeded Kaia Kanepi, who triumphed in a contest of wild momentum swings to upset No.2 seed Aryna Sabalenka 5-7, 6-2, 7-6(7). Kanepi is into her seventh Grand Slam quarterfinal but first at the Australian Open. At the age of 36 she has now reached that stage at every major.

Swiatek is into her first Grand Slam quarterfinal outside of Paris, where she also reached the last eight in 2021. However, she had to survive a stern test from World No.38 Cirstea before ultimately triumphing in a hard-fought 2-hour, 28-minute battle.

Words from the winner: "For sure, she put a lot of pressure on me," Swiatek said in her post-match press conference. "I just had to overcome some doubts that I had. I did that pretty well, because I don't have a good statistic in terms of coming back after losing first sets. So it's still something I'm working on.

"These kind of matches are going to give me a lot of confidence for the future, because coming back from losing in the first set and against a player who's constantly going forward, it's pretty hard, and I did that. I feel like I can approach these different scenarios on court, and at the end it's pretty positive."

Fast facts: Swiatek was the only player last season to make the fourth round or better at all four Grand Slam events. Despite being pushed hard by Cirstea, Swiatek now has a 29-2 win-loss record against opponents ranked outside the Top 30 in her Grand Slam history.

Cirstea was a set away from reaching her second Grand Slam quarterfinal, and her first in 13 years, since she reached that stage at 2009 Roland Garros. However, the former World No.21 was unable to hold on and collect the 16th Top 10 win of her career.

Nevertheless, this week's result continues a strong resurgence for the 31-year-old Cirstea, who ended a 13-year-drought between WTA singles titles last year in Istanbul. Cirstea has improved her ranking nearly 50 spots over the past 12 months.

Stat corner: Little separated the two powerful players statistically during their first meeting. Swiatek's 29 winners were nearly matched by the 27 from the Romanian's racquet, and the Pole had only three more unforced errors than Cirstea.

Swiatek was sturdier winning first-service points, winning 76 percent of those points while Cirstea had a 58 percent success rate. But Cirstea kept things close by claiming an excellent 76 percent of Swiatek's second-service points.

In the long run, Swiatek got enough of her first serves into play (64 percent) to make that disparity work in her favor. Overall, Swiatek saved eight of the 12 break points she faced while converting six of her 14 break chances.

Match moments: Aggressive play by Cirstea gave her the critical break for 6-5 in the opening set, and she stormed her way through a love hold to claim the one-set lead. However, Swiatek nudged herself ahead in the winner count during the second set, where she broke Cirstea twice to level the clash.

In the third set, Swiatek saved four break points to grit out a pivotal service hold for 2-2, but three consecutive breaks followed, which ended with Swiatek ahead 4-3. The Pole fended off thunderous returns by Cirstea to hold for 5-3, then slammed a forehand winner down the line to convert her first match point in the following game.

wtatennis.com

What a nerve wrecking stress inducing, and engrossing match!. Iga was suppose to play in the afternoon 2/3pm Australian time but ended up starting a few minutes before 7pm (which of course is 3 am my time). 

The match lasted almost 2 and a half hours, which meant the 2nd of many all nighters for me during this tournament. 

I was going to find an encore of it and watch it the next day, but the excitement of watching it live was too good to pass up. 

I found myself screaming both internally and externally at 4am. There were so many swings of momentum it was hard to tell who would win right up to the end of the final set.  

When Iga lost the first set after breaking back I had a lot of doubt she would be able to win, after all as she herself mentioned she doesn't have the greatest record in 3 setters at  Grand Slam's when losing the opening set. 

But Iga showed such determination and found a way to over power and break her opponents spirit right towards the end with some amazing rallies and shots. It was like her desire to win overrode her nerves and everything else. 

It was quite a sight to see honestly. I don't often get to feel national pride in a sport, I love but the manner in which she won this match made it feel extra special.  That feeling alone was more than worth staying up all night for.

It was such a composed and mature performance from someone who's still so young and relatively new to the tour. 

Win or lose in the next match this performance will give her so much confidence going forward through the season and career wise. 

I know her next opponent Kenepi, a long time veteran will not be easy in any respect, but the optimist in me is hoping this win will help propel her all the way to the final.  Jazda Iga!

Iga Swiatek rallies past Kasatkina to reach Aussie Open 2nd week for 3rd straight year

No.7 seed Iga Swiatek wrapped up an impressive first week at the Australian Open with a 6-2, 6-3 win over No.25 seed Daria Kasatkina, though the scoreline does not reflect the toughness of the 1-hour, 34-minute battle.

Former Roland Garros champion Swiatek's clutch performance on important points puts her into the second week of a sixth successive major, and third Australian Open in a row. The 20-year-old has reached at least the fourth round in nine of the 12 Grand Slams she has contested. In Melbourne this week, she has yet to lose more than five games in any of her matches.

The result was revenge for the pair's only previous meeting, in the second round of Eastbourne last year. That was the fourth WTA main draw match on grass of Swiatek's career, and Kasatkina exposed that inexperience with a 4-6, 6-0, 6-1 victory.

Match management: Though Swiatek finished with more winners than Kasatkina (24 to 13) and fewer unforced errors (35 to 37), the story of the match lay in how both players dealt with the tightest passages of play.

In total, there were eight games that went to at least one deuce. Swiatek won all five in the first set, and two out of three in the second. She also converted four out of eight break points, while saving eight of nine against her. Consequently, although the competitiveness of any given game was closer than the final scoreline suggests, the Pole had an iron grip of scoreboard momentum throughout.

Kasatkina came up with several moments of magic - feathery touch on volleys, some superb defence-into-offence counterpunching - but was unable to translate that often enough into winning games. By contrast, Swiatek's finest striking, particularly on a forehand that garnered her 12 winners, frequently came at the sharp end of those long deuce tussles.

Swiatek on tactics: "For sure, that was really intense match," she said afterwards. "I feel like I'm playing better and better every match, so that's positive. "Tactically, I did a pretty good job of not letting her use her topspin on the forehand, and I'm glad that I was the first one to switch the direction maybe to the line so I could have more initiative.

Swiatek on her fourth-round streak: "I'm aware, and that gave me a little bit of doubt before the match," she said. "That was another thing that I had to overcome, because I wanted to at least do the same result as I did in previous years. But it's not a good way to focus on that. I am pretty proud that today I could overcome that attitude of looking to my past achievement. Because right now I'm kind of in a different tennis life. I switched my coach, I'm focusing on different stuff, and I'm trying to only look on the positives and on what's going to be forward.

"That was my goal for last year, to have consistency. [Now] I want to have some tournaments that I'm going to really make something bigger than fourth round at. But on the other hand I don't want to focus on that, because I'm pretty good right now at just looking at another match, another step."

Swiatek's fourth-round opponent will be the unseeded Sorana Cirstea, who upset No.10 seed Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova 6-3, 2-6, 6-2 in 1 hour and 42

wtatennis.com

Well this was fun. I think Iga's new coach has really ignited her fighting spirit, and reminded her to be less passive and more aggressive as she was when she won Roland Garros 2 years ago. 

The variety with  drop shots in set 2 was inspired. Going to be interesting to see how she handles another veteran player she's never faced before. Jazda Iga!

Iga Swiatek cruises into 3rd round at Aussie Open

While two Top 10 seeds were on their way to elimination, Iga Swiatek stayed the course. After dropping only three games in her first-round win Tuesday, the No.7 seed sealed a comprehensive 6-2, 6-2 win over Sweden's Rebecca Peterson to advance to the third round at Melbourne Park for the third straight year.

From 3-1 down, Swiatek won 11 straight games in her opening round against Harriet Dart. She started Thursday's match against Peterson much quicker. Swiatek won eight of the first 10 points as well as the first four games, and won five straight games en route to wrapping up the match in the second set.

She credited the quick start for the easy win.

"Just starting the match with confidence was pretty important for me," Swiatek said after the match. "I felt like I was dominating from the beginning, and after getting a couple of breaks, it was much easier to go forward. That was the key, basically."

Ready, willing and able: Swiatek needed just 67 minutes to score her second win against the Swedish No.1 at a major in the span of a year. Swiatek beat Peterson her in the same round of last year's French Open, losing only two games.

Swiatek said she and new coach Tomasz Witkorowski put together a comprehensive game plan that accounted for their first meeting on a new surface.

"I was ready for everything," Swiatek said. "But I knew she's going to play probably heavy forehand, a lot of topspin. I didn't want to let her play her game on the forehand, so basically I knew that if we were going to, for example, play backhand cross-court, I'm going to have more [of an] advantage.

"Going forehand on forehand, it may be pretty equal. I just knew this kind of stuff. But my coach wanted me to kind of have a game plan on every point, so we weren't talking really specifically about every aspect of the game. It was more like [an] overall idea."

All-Polish clash denied: Up next for Swiatek is a meeting with No.25 Daria Kasatkina, who eased to a 6-2, 6-3 win over Swiatek's compatriot Magda Linette. Should she want to reach the fourth round for the third year running, Swiatek will again have to adapt to a first hard-court meeting. She lost to Kasatkina in three sets on grass in Eastbourne last summer.

  wtatennis.com

Iga Swiatek column: Australian Open, Melbourne sightseeing and work-life balance

Poland's Iga Swiatek, who shot to fame by winning the 2020 French Open title as a 19-year-old, is the latest WTA Tour star to feature in a BBC Sport column.

Before beating Sweden's Rebecca Peterson in the Australian Open second round, Swiatek talks about the importance to her of developing a good work-life balance and doing that with sightseeing in Melbourne.

Even though I'm moving around the world all the time and switching time-zones, it can be easy for me to get bored.

And if I am going to get bored then I won't be as passionate on court - which is what me and my team want to avoid.Clearly, practising and preparing properly for a Grand Slam are the priorities but we also understand - and plan - that I have the time to do something cool every few days.


Working towards a strong work-life balance, and taking care of my well-being off court, is so important to me.

I tend to get really stressed and sometimes this stress may mean I'm not enjoying the life on tour. And this life is great!

We are travelling, visiting really cool places but, in Covid times when we couldn't leave the hotel, it wasn't that cool.


Now that we are able to go out more at tournaments, like we can in Melbourne this year, is it easier to enjoy it.

This year, I have tried to change my attitudes towards tournaments and enjoy things outside of them even more than before.

For example, when I lost to Ash Barty in the Adelaide semi-finals recently, of course I was upset and angry. But it took me less time to get over it.


That's because I'm trying to come up with that kind of stuff to take a mental break during tournaments.

Every day I went out to the Adelaide Botanical Gardens, which was a different - and warmer - way to see nature after spending the previous month in the cold of Europe.


Going to St Kilda Beach - one of Melbourne's most famous tourist attractions - is helping me here. I've been twice already this week.


It is also important to choose the right hours so I don't get overheated but in this Melbourne summer that can be impossible to avoid!

Even though we are allowed out and about in Melbourne, I understand there are rising cases here and it is important to stay safe. We're also trying to avoid much contact with other people because of the Covid situation.


It is the summer holidays here so there were a lot of people visiting the beach so we had to find a calmer place which was less crowded.


I love the beach because I like to be around water. I'm a fan of stand-up paddle and I did that two years ago in Melbourne, but it is quite a physical activity which requires a lot of balance. So it can be tiring and I need to preserve energy.


I really want to learn to surf too. But you also have to be careful with that from a physical point of view too. I have no idea when I will find the time to do that, perhaps in the off-season.


Melbourne is probably in the top three of my favourite cities, but I know if I wasn't playing here then I probably wouldn't come because it is too far from home.


So I want to make the most of being here and seeing things, but I know it is a delicate balance between work and rest.

One place I definitely need to go to is AC/DC Lane. You may know I am a big fan of AC/DC - Thunderstruck is my favourite song - but I've never been to this street. I didn't know about that until just recently!


That's definitely going on my list of things to-do here.

I have been before to the National Gallery of Victoria - one of the city's biggest art museums here - and did a virtual reality experience, that was pretty cool. But I think my brain would get confused if I did that during the tournament!

I'm also massively into coffee - and Melbourne has one of the best coffee scenes in the world. I don't drink a lot because I'm not supposed to and I'd have trouble sleeping but a coffee is an important part of my day.


It is interesting to see how different cities do their coffee differently. Here, the flat whites are amazing. They also have great brunches here in Melbourne, things like avocado on toast, but I usually eat before practice in the early hours so I don't always choose brunches.


Seafood is one of my favourite foods and the salmon they make on site at Melbourne Park is the best salmon I have ever eaten. That's quite weird because the food at tournaments is great but not usually that good!

My new coach Tomasz Wiktorowski likes steak and has recommended a good restaurant. Maybe after I've won some more matches we can go and celebrate there.

So there are a lot of small things-to-do which I want to enjoy in Melbourne and in other cities too when the WTA Tour continues after here.

I think doing these little fun activities will help me stay mentally refreshed and recover quicker from tough moments.

Being less upset when I lose a match or play a bad practice should mean I will have more energy towards the end of a long season.


Iga Swiatek was talking to BBC Sport's Jonathan Jurejko at Melbourne Park.

bbc.com

Iga Swiatek opens Australian Open campaign with dominant win

Playing her first match on Rod Laver Arena, British qualifier Harriet Dart started brightly against No.7 seed Iga Swiatek by winning three of the first four games.

From 3-1 down, though, Swiatek rolled. She won the last 11 games in a 6-3, 6-0 victory to win her opening match Down Under for the fourth year in a row.

Tale of the tape: Swiatek made nine of her 17 unforced errors for the match in the first four games, and finished with 21 winners. After the slow start, she also rounded into form on serve. In her last six service games, Swiatek lost just six points. Three of those came in the last game, as she served out the match from 15-40 down.

Swedish No.1 next for Swiatek: With a spot in the third round at stake, Swiatek will face Sweden's Rebecca Peterson, who was a 6-2, 6-3 winner against wildcard Daria Saville (neé Gavrilova). The two will play at a major for the second time in the span of a year, with Siwatek winning 6-1, 6-1 in the same round at Roland Garros last summer.

wtatennis.com

Iga Swiatek on Australian Open, being a teenage Grand Slam champion & handling expectation

Poland's Iga Swiatek, who shot to fame by winning the 2020 French Open title as a 19-year-old, is the latest WTA Tour star to feature in a BBC Sport column.


In her first piece at the Australian Open, the seventh seed discusses coping with the attention of being such a young major champion and dealing with her own expectations.


Coming into last year's Australian Open, I was less confident than I am now. Even though I had won a Grand Slam, I felt I had to prove it wasn't just the two weeks at the French Open when I played well.

After Roland Garros, I felt my whole world had turned upside down. The first few months were really hard in balancing my tennis work and off-court responsibilities.


had a lot of media attention - in Poland particularly but also abroad - and it was the first time I had signed a big partnership with a sponsor.


I remember coming to Australia - that was the first Grand Slam after I won in Paris - and being in a different time zone to Poland meant I could switch my phone off completely. It was really cool for me and gave me a lot of peaceful time.


But, leading up to the Australian Open, I was still really nervous for a week and my performance wasn't as good as at the French Open.


Right now, a year on and going into the 2022 Australian Open, I'm in my calm mood. I'm going to chill and see what's going to come.


After winning a Grand Slam you might think 'I can now be happy for the rest of my life' but it is totally the opposite to that. I wasn't aware it would be like that.


I expected a lot from myself and wanted to show people that I could play like that all of the time. It was kind of impossible.


So I needed some time to chill out a little bit. I had to just remember 'I'm 20 and still have lots of time to develop and to learn'.


Winning a Grand Slam is great but I think at my age it interrupted the peaceful process of growing up and developing my game.


Suddenly we had to rush to get to the same level, mentally and tennis-wise, to where my expectations were.

The period of the season where we play Roland Garros, Wimbledon and the Olympics was the hardest one for me last year.


I did everything to be ready to defend my French Open title and I played solid tennis. But I felt people were expecting me to do more than reach the quarter-finals.


If I reached the quarter-finals in 2020 I would have been very happy. So I had to constantly remind myself that I don't have to win every match.

I could easily cut out all the things I read or heard from other people - but my expectations were the worst.

My psychologist Daria Abramowicz gave me a lot in terms of helping me understand myself more and understand why I am such a perfectionist.


There are examples of that in my everyday life, too. For example, I can't bake and I'm terrible at cooking yet I try to change every recipe so it is more healthy, with less sugar and less flour.


I start normally, adding the ingredients, but then think there is too much sugar or too much butter. So I take it out and then it comes out terribly.

My dad doesn't like to waste food but if I bake something like a brownie he just throws it out because it is really bad!

That's what a perfectionist does. Sometimes we change the things that should be much easier. Last year on the court I had a lot of ups and downs in terms of that.


As soon as I was playing with low expectations and high standards I played really well. Then after a really great two weeks my expectations went up again, so it was like a circle.


I need to keep my expectations level. This year I think it will be easier for me to do that because I understand the whole process better.

Last year, I won the Adelaide title after the Australian Open and then another title in Rome. I ended the season in the world's top 10 and qualified for the WTA Finals.

It really showed me that I belonged at the top of the WTA and hopefully I am going to stay there for a longer time to come. But, first of all, I needed to prove that to myself.

Working with Daria has helped me a lot and I'm not the same perfectionist I was a few years ago.

The whole of last season showed me that being in a constant rush to get ranking points and maintain your ranking doesn't make sense because there will always be something to be unhappy about.

If you are top five, you are going to be mad that you are not top three.

I need to remind myself I'm doing well. This season my expectations are to not have many expectations!


Iga Swiatek was talking to BBC Sport's Jonathan Jurejko at Melbourne Park.

bbc.com

Iga Swiatek battles past ailing Azarenka to set up meeting with World #1 Barty in Adelaide

No.5 seed Iga Swiatek took another step toward the first title defence of her career at the Adelaide International, overcoming Victoria Azarenka 6-3, 2-6, 6-1 in 1 hour and 57 minutes to reach the semifinals.

Swiatek's only previous encounter with Azarenka came in the 2020 US Open third round when she was 19 years old and ranked No.53. Despite an impressive performance, Azarenka was able to advance 6-4, 6-2 en route to her fifth Grand Slam final.

Since then, the Pole has established herself firmly at the top of the game, and the bulk of their Adelaide rematch was a pulsating contest of top quality in which both sought to impose their weightiest hitting on the other.

Tactical adjustments and her signature competitive instincts enabled No.27-ranked Azarenka to become the first player to win a set from Swiatek in Adelaide. However, the 20-year-old eventually pulled away in the third set as an ailing Azarenka's movement became visibly hampered, and maintains her eight-match winning streak in the South Australian capital.

Azarenka would later withdraw from her doubles semifinal with a right leg injury, handing No.3 seeds Darija Jurak Schreiber and Andreja Klepac a walkover into the final.

By the numbers: Azarenka posted 22 winners to 26 unforced errors in total, but 10 of the former and just four of the latter came in a clean, focused second set in which she seized momentum from Swiatek. Advancing to net at every opportunity, the Belarusian's overhead was in fine fettle, and her famed return was at its best as she broke Swiatek for the set with a quartet of booming responses.

Swiatek tallied 27 winners to 28 unforced errors, and particularly notable was her balanced game. The World No.9's heavy forehand is the stroke with which she usually dominates, and it was in electrifying shape at the start of the match. However, Swiatek finished the match with 17 backhand winners to 10 from the forehand, with a series of sharply angled passes off the former wing drawing gasps.

First-serve percentage proved crucial in the first two sets: Swiatek's fell from 67% to 50% while Azarenka's rose from 53% to 68%. In the decider, Swiatek's numbers recovered to 68% while Azarenka, who was visibly limping as she fell behind 4-0, fell back to 53%.

In Swiatek's words: "Winning against such an experienced player is still pretty new for me," she said after the match. "That was my third match where I actually could show what I practiced during pre-season. That's really satisfying because I had this problem last year where I was practicing really great and I felt like I could do more on matches. This time it's different. It's actually going my way, so I'm pretty happy about that.

"Basically my main tactic was the same as in previous match: I want to be the first one to attack and to play that faster ball that's going to give me opportunity to go forward. Basically I did that pretty well.

"But I felt like in the second set I backed out a little bit, so that was my mistake. She used that. I knew she's going to do that. Basically I felt the same way when I was playing Simona last year Australian Open. She just used every opportunity to come back to the match."

"I knew in third set I need to start the same way the first set. I think it was pretty easy, just a matter of who is going to attack first and who is going to have more time to go forward."

What's next for Swiatek: A popcorn clash between the 2019 and 2020 Roland Garros champions looms in the last four as Swiatek takes on No.1 seed Ashleigh Barty. Like the Azarenka contest, it is another rematch for Swiatek against a major champion who triumphed in their only prior meeting. The Australian defeated Swiatek 7-5, 6-4 in the third round of Rome last year.

wtatennis.com

Another great win for Iga, could have won it in straights if it were not for the poor serve percentage in the 2nd set. 

But I'm not complaining. We've got a fantastic popcorn match with Ash Barty not a bad way to start off the new season. 

I want her to win this one so bad, but the realist in me knows it'll be very tough. Although having watched Barty's first 2 matches I would say she's not quite at top form yet (in that sense Swiatek has been a lot more impressive), so if you're going to try to beat her now might be just the time to do so. 

Good luck Iga. Rooting for you. Jazda!

Iga Swiatek passes Fernandez test with flying colours in Adelaide

Iga Swiatek rose to the occasion in more ways than one in a second-round victory over Leylah Fernandez on Thursday at the Adelaide International 1.

Losing just three games in a 6-1, 6-2 victory, the No.5 seed and defending champion extended her winning streak at the event to seven matches

After the match, Swiatek revealed that the first-ever meeting with Fernandez was not the only thing weighing on her mind, telling Barbara Schett-Eagle in her on-court interview: "I was in the mood, and that was great because I was pretty stressed since ... I was playing against a younger girl, which is pretty new for me. She's pretty talented and she's a Grand Slam finalist, so I knew it was going to be tricky."

From 1-1 in the first set—two games that stretched past deuce—Swiatek largely cruised: she hit 17 winners to just eight unforced errors, and never faced a break point in 74 minutes.

"I felt really confident," Swiatek added, "and I'm pretty happy that I could finish it really quickly and I didn't let go of focus."

She needed that focus down the stretch, as it took five match points to put Fernandez away. The Canadian saved three in her last service game, putting another hold on the board from 0-40 at 6-1, 5-1.

A streak of straight sets: Swiatek didn't lose a set in Adelaide last year en route to winning her second career title, and her sets won streak at the event has now reached 14.

Give her a (left) hand: With the win, Swiatek also improved to 14-3 against left-handers at pro level. She's won her last six matches against southpaws dating back to a 2020 loss to Arantxa Rus in Rome, just prior to her breakthrough victory at Roland Garros.

"I've never had a problem [playing against left-handers]," Swiatek said. "I had a few opponents who were lefties when I was younger, so I guess on every level I've had chances to play against lefties and I don't mind it, really."

A right-hander awaits Swiatek next, as she'll face either Aussie wildcard Priscilla Hon or former World No.1 Victoria Azarenka.

wtatennis.com

Changing coaches is turning out to be just the right move for Iga, she seems to have regained the confidence and aggressiveness that helped her win Roland Garros in 2020. 

Today she played a match that was utter perfection and it was an absolute pleasure to watch. Leylah Fernandez is no slouch after all (having reached last year's U.S. Open final), but the level that Iga displayed today would have been too good even for the likes of people like Ash Barty. 

It'll be interesting to see how she does against Azarenka in a few days, that one could be the real test of the tournament. And if she were to get past her we would finally have a first meting with the number 1 player in the world Ash Barty.

I'm shaking with excitement just thinking about it. Honestly if she plays like today she'll be tough for anyone to stop.

 Jazda Iga!. 

With Poland into the semi finals of  ATP Cup courtesy of Hubert Hurkacz the new season is shaping up great. 

Iga Swiatek notches first win of 2022 in Adelaide

Defending champion Iga Swiatek got her 2022 season off to a flying start Tuesday with a 6-3, 6-3 victory over homeland hope Daria Saville in the first round of the Adelaide International 1.

Swiatek, the World No.9 from Poland, needed 79 minutes to dispatch the former Top 20 player Saville (née Gavrilova), who was playing her first event after her off-season marriage to ATP pro Luke Saville.

Fast facts: Saville missed almost all of last year due to an Achilles injury but has a long list of top-tier victories in her history, with 11 Top 10 wins to her credit. However, the Aussie qualifier was unable to add a win over Swiatek to her ledger in their first meeting.

Swiatek, at age 20 the youngest player in the Top 10, won this title last year without dropping a set. That was her first hard-court title and second title overall, following the 2020 Roland Garros championship (which she also won without dropping a set). Swiatek is now 11-0 in Tale of the match: Swiatek fell behind an early break at 2-1 in the opening set, but the No.5 seed won five of the next six games to recover her bearings and take the one-set lead.

It was even easier for Swiatek in the second set, where she never faced a break point. The Pole finished up the match with a 76 percent success rate returning the Saville second serve, which likely pressured the Aussie into double faults on the last two points of the clash.

"I just focused on my game and being on court," Swiatek said in her post-match press conference. "I wanted to implement some stuff that I practiced here. It went out pretty well, so I'm pretty happy. It was solid match, so it's a good start."

Next up: Another skyrocketing youngster awaits Swiatek in the second round. Canadian teen Leylah Fernandez will be Swiatek’s next opponent, after Fernandez charged past Ekaterina Alexandrova on Monday.

This will be the first professional meeting between the two, though they met once in juniors, with Swiatek taking a straight-sets win in 2015. Both would go on to win junior Grand Slam singles titles: Swiatek at 2018 Wimbledon, and Fernandez at 2019 Roland Garros.

wtatennis.com

Great way to start off a new year. Iga clearly feels very comfortable in Adelaide and it's freeing up her game.