Tuesday, February 22, 2022

Iga Swiatek's successful year continues in Doha Qatar

No.7 seed Iga Swiatek of Poland earned a tough three-set win at the Qatar TotalEnergies Open on Tuesday, battling past a spirited Viktorija Golubic of Switzerland 6-2, 3-6, 6-2 to reach the round of 16.

2020 Roland Garros champion Swiatek needed just over two hours to claim the hard-fought victory and claim a spot in the Doha round of 16 for the first time in her career.

By the numbers: With the win, World No.8 Swiatek exacted some revenge on 36th-ranked Golubic. The Swiss player had beaten Swiatek in straight sets in their lone previous meeting, in the first round of 2019 Wimbledon.

But this time around, it was Swiatek who closed out the win, claiming exactly two-thirds of Golubic's second-service points and converting six of her 10 break points.

Key moments: Swiatek saved a total of five break points in her first two service games before romping through the rest of the opening set. However, Golubic stormed back in the second set, building a commanding double-break lead and breaking Swiatek in the last game to tie the match.

Swiatek, though, regrouped in the third set to take charge, slamming an incredible backhand winner down the line to break for a 3-2 lead. Serving for the match at 5-2, Swiatek swatted away two break points with aggressive play, dictating with her forehand through the rest of the game to seal victory.

Next up: Swiatek will face Daria Kasatkina in the third round on Wednesday. Swiatek leads the head-to-head with Kasatkina 2-1, turning their rivalry around by winning their two meetings this year. Swiatek beat Kasatkina at the 2022 Australian Open, as well as just last week in Dubai.

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