Swiatek had not faced Gracheva since their junior days, a 6-3, 6-2 win on the clay of Milan in 2017, but the No.47-ranked Frenchwoman has posted her best career results this year. Though her form has tailed off following the Austin final and back-to-back fourth-round runs at Indian Wells and Miami, Gracheva was able to test Swiatek in the first set before the Polish player rolled in the second.
How Swiatek defeated Gracheva: Two superb winners in the first three points from Gracheva were a statement of her aggressive intent. But while the 23-year-old delivered her share of highlights, four-time major champion Swiatek was able to sustain her top level throughout the whole match.
Gracheva's best passage of play came in the first set, when she cut Swiatek's 4-1 double-break lead to 4-3. However, Swiatek steadied herself with some superb forehands to preserve her insurance break and close out the set.
The former World No.1 battled through a five-deuce game at the start of the second set to break ahead of a 90-minute rain delay. On resumption, Gracheva's form of the first set had disappeared. Her unforced error tally mounted to 24, while Swiatek repeatedly teed off on returns to race towards the finishing line.
What's next for Swiatek: A rare meeting against a Polish compatriot as she takes on Australian Open semifinalist Magda Linette. Swiatek has not faced Linette before. She has played a fellow Pole only three times at any pro level before. Her only tour-level meeting with a countrywoman was in the first round of Warsaw 2022, when she defeated Magdalena Frech 6-1, 6-2.
No comments:
Post a Comment