WTA issues statement regarding ITIA decision on Iga Swiatek

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Iga Świątek (@iga.swiatek)

The WTA acknowledges the decision by the International Tennis Integrity Association (ITIA) – which administers the Tennis Anti-Doping Program (TADP) – in issuing a one-month suspension to Iga Swiatek, following the identification of a contaminated regulated medication (melatonin) as the source for her positive test for the prohibited substance Trimetazidine.

The WTA fully supports Iga during this difficult time. Iga has consistently demonstrated a strong commitment to fair play and upholding the principles of clean sport, and this unfortunate incident highlights the challenges athletes face in navigating the use of medications and supplements.

The WTA remains steadfast in our support for a clean sport and the rigorous processes that protect the integrity of competition. We also emphasize that athletes must take every precaution to verify the safety and compliance of all products they use, as even unintentional exposure to prohibited substances can have significant consequences.

We will continue to work closely with our athletes to provide education and resources that empower athletes to make informed decisions and maintain the highest standards of integrity in our sport.

wtatennis.com

Well this was certainly not something I was expecting to wake up to this morning. 

We now have a clear reason on exactly what Iga's personal issues were the last few months and it turns out the break from the sport was not by choice as she previously publicly stated. 

We all knew there was something more behind it, but I can honestly say this is the last thing I expected it to be.

Although a part of me was always afraid something like this might eventually happen to Iga. 

After all the doping cases in recent years I have less and less trust in doping agency and how it's run. 

There's the unequal treatment of players cases based on their ranking for one. 

The other example being that Iga couldn't even say anything about this till now and had to lie and say she stopped playing due to personal issues thereby making herself look worse image wise. 

Same thing happened to World #1 Jannik Sinner this year having to wait months to disclose anything.

The lack of transparency in the process has always been and remains an issue due to how the appeals work. 

I fear that until these system issues are addressed, things like this will just keep happening to every player on tour.

As a consequence of all this, sadly everything Iga does from now on will be put under a microscope and scrutinized even further than usual and in some peoples eyes there'll be a permanent blemish or asterisk if you will on any future achievements. 

 

People are going to react with their own opinions and biases on this issue often consequently fueling the fire of hate (which is something that gets worse with every passing year on social media).

Hell I am one of those with a biased opinion, and I'm not afraid to admit it.  

 I believe in Iga's innocence in this matter. 

Her arguments are clear and convincing and my respect for her as a person or an athlete has not diminished or changed in anyway. 

I'm proud of how she has handled things, and even played a tennis tournament with all that hanging over her head. 

Hang tough champ, true fans will stick with you in the good and the bad. 

Poland falls short of BJK Cup final after a valiant effort vs Italy

 

World No.2 Iga Swiatek may have outlasted World No.4 Jasmine Paolini in a thrilling 3-6, 6-4, 6-4 second singles match on Monday in the semifinals of the Billie Jean King Cup Finals -- but it was the Italian who eventually got the final word and helped put her team through to Wednesday's championship.

Paolini and Sara Errani defeated Swiatek and Katarzyna Kawa 7-5, 7-5 in the third and deciding match to send four-time Billie Jean King Cup champions Italy through to the Billie Jean King Cup Finals final, where it will face either Great Britain or Slovakia, which play Tuesday.

Gold medalists Paolini and Errani had to battle hard to defeat the scratch Polish pairing, which had partnered up for the first time just days ago in the quarterfinals and defeated the Czech Republic to advance to the final four for the first time.

They saved three set points in the first set, and rallied from a 5-1 deficit in set two, to put Italy through to the final for a seventh time -- and second year in a row.

The Italians led 1-0 in the tie thanks to an upset for World No.78 Lucia Bronzetti over No.38 Magda Linette before Paolini and Swiatek took the court for their much-anticipated fourth all-time duel. Paolini had won just nine games in three previous head-to-head matches against Swiatek, but both she and Swiatek came into the match unbeaten in Malaga -- and the two-highest ranked players in the PIF WTA Rankings competing for their countries at the event played like it over the course over a thrilling 2 hours and 36 minutes.

From a break behind in the first set, Paolini won a set against Swiatek for the first time in four meetings -- matching Swiatek with eight winners, and fewer unforced errors, over the first nine games. The Italian continued to put the pressure on Swiatek over the course of the match -- she generated 16 break points in all over the course of three sets -- but the World No.2 continued to rise to the occasion each time.

She saved 13 of the 16 break points she faced in the match overall -- including all five in the second set -- before she broke Paolini for the first time since 2-2 in the opener at 5-4 to send the match the distance.

Later, after seeing Paolini draw even in the third set from 3-1 behind, Swiatek's continued easy service holds put pressure on Paolini serving second. And she eventually cracked in the match's final game, losing serve from 30-15 ahead.

Bronzetti had earlier gotten Italy off to a winning start with a 6-4, 7-6(3) win over Linette.

The Italian had won just three games the last time she faced off against Linette -- in the United Cup last year -- but led for almost the entire duration of Monday's match. From 3-3 in the first set, Bronzetti won seven of the next nine games -- but eventually needed to fight through a surge by the Pole late in the second set.

From 4-1 behind, Linette won four straight games, and was twice was a game away from forcing a third set, before Bronzetti squeaked out the win in a tiebreak.

The 26-year-old Bronzetti, in her seventh BJK Cup nomination, picked up her first singles win for Il Tricolore with her Linette was playing for the first time in three days after defeating Sara Sorribes Tormo in a 3-hour, 51-minute marathon in Poland's 2-0 win over Spain in the first round.

wtatennis.com

Sport is all about elation one minute and heartbreak the next. And what a heartbreak this turned out to be.

We came so close to making the final thanks to Iga this year. She was literally carrying the whole country and team on her back. 

Winning all her matches in 3 sets and playing doubles. 

Spending a total of over 10 hours on court in a span of 5 days. 

A truly Herculean effort from let's face it Poland's MVP.

I honestly didn't expect much after Linette lost the first singles rubber, I had faith Iga would pull through (and she did so despite not having her best tennis) but I knew 2024 Olympic Champions Errani/Paolini would be a tough task. 

A task that we actually almost pulled off. 

Katarzyna Kawa and Iga Swiatek make for quite a formidable doubles team. It's been a real pleasure watching it these past days. 

Iga seems so free playing doubles, despite the pressure you could really see the joy. Something she's been missing in the 2nd half of the season.  

I saw Iga hit shot at net I've never seen her hit in singles. 

If she can play with this type of freedom in 2025 we'll be in for a treat.

There's clearly still so much untapped skill and talent just needs the right person to nurture and encourage it. Hopefully Wim Fisette will be that man. 

I'm sad they lost the 5/1 lead in the 2nd set (also having set points in the first) the match truly deserved to go to the wire and finish in a super tiebreak. 

The quality was superb.   

This will be a match I will look back on fondly despite the loss. 

As a fan I could not have asked for more of a maximum effort than Iga showed here. 

Today's singles match was Iga's 7th three set win of the year (one she won from a set down too)

Not a bad way to end the season honestly. 

I can't help wondering if the result would have been different had coach David Celt chosen Frech over Linette (who clearly still hadn't fully recovered from the 4 hour marathon with Sorribes Tormo). 

I understand he was going with Linette's experience overall but I'm sure even he will have some 2nd thoughts and regrets on that.

Thank you Iga for giving it your all and continuing to make my home country so damn proud. I hope you get to lie in bed and do nothing for at least a week. You deserve it.  

May not have been the result you desired but a truly inspiring effort!.

Rest up champ,and here's to makng more historic moments in 2025!. 

I for one already cannot wait. 

Iga Swiatek pulls double duty to give Poland historic semi finals at Billie Jean King Cup

 

Poland defeated the Czech Republic 2-1 in a come-from-behind quarterfinal tie at the Billie Jean King Cup Finals, after World No.2 Iga Swiatek notched two must-win victories on Saturday in Malaga, Spain.

With the comeback, Poland has made the semifinals of the Billie Jean King Cup Finals for the first time in their nation's history. In the semifinals, they will take on Italy, who won their quarterfinal tie earlier on Saturday.

"In 20 minutes I’ll be dead, but now, let’s enjoy this," said Swiatek, once her day ended after 1:00 a.m. local time. "It was an exhausting day, really tough matches. But I’m really happy that we won the last one, that’s the most important thing."

The 11-time champion Czechs started the tie ahead 1-0 when Marie Bouzkova beat Poland's Magdalena Frech 6-1, 4-6, 6-4 in Saturday's opening match.

But Swiatek held on for a 7-6(5), 4-6, 7-5 victory over hard-hitting Czech teen Linda Noskova to keep her Polish squad alive. Swiatek needed 2 hours and 39 minutes to fend off 26th-ranked Noskova, who was playing her first match since the US Open.

Just 30 minutes later, Swiatek came back onto court for her first Billie Jean King Cup doubles match since 2019. Swiatek partnered Katarzyna Kawa to a 6-2, 6-4 victory over Bouzkova and WTA Doubles World No.1 Katerina Siniakova, sending Poland into the Final Four.


"The whole team did an amazing job," Swiatek said on court. "I’m going to ask [Kawa] to teach me these forehands down the line, they’re amazing."

Saturday's tie started with Bouzkova holding off a stern challenge from Frech to give the Czech Republic the 1-0 lead. Bouzkova had no problems racing through the first set, and she had two break points to take an early 2-0 lead in the second set.

However, Frech fended those chances off, and she gradually pulled herself into contention. Frech, who finished the season in the Top 25 for the first time in her career, quickly broke Bouzkova for a 5-4 lead in the second set, which she served out routinely.

The third set pitted Frech's angles against Bouzkova's speed, with very little separating the players. At 5-4, Bouzkova's exceptional defense helped her take charge on Frech's serve, garnering a 0-40 lead and triple match point. Bouzkova needed only one chance, slamming a big backhand to earn the victory.

Thus, Swiatek came to court knowing she had to win to keep her team in contention. Swiatek led Noskova 3-1 in the head-to-head, including two wins this year, but Noskova's victory came on a huge occasion, when she ousted Swiatek in the third round of this year's Australian Open.

Noskova, who turns 20 years old on Sunday, spent her last day as a teenager pushing Swiatek to the limit. After the pair went back and forth in the first set, Swiatek served for the set at 6-5, only to see Noskova fire a backhand winner into the corner to break for 6-6.

In the tiebreak, Noskova was unnerved by a stretch return by Swiatek off of a powerful serve, and she misfired on the reply to give Swiatek a 5-3 advantage. At 5-4, Swiatek summoned two unreturned serves to take the one-set lead after 70 grueling minutes.

In the second set, neither player was pushed to deuce through 4-4, but Noskova eventually found amazing volleys to break for a 5-4 lead. The Czech closed out the second set with consecutive backhand winners, edging closer to a possible upset.

Another tight set settled affairs, with a 4-1 third-set lead for Swiatek being reeled back by Noskova all the way to 5-5. Swiatek reclaimed dominance with her forehand to hold on for 6-5 and force Noskova to serve to stay in the match.

In that game, Swiatek fired a rally forehand winner to earn two match points. On her second match point, Swiatek again found a stretch return winner, Noskova replied with a miscue once more, and the Pole ended up the narrow victor.

Swiatek subbed in for Frech in the decisive doubles, and despite the short turnaround time, she made a perfect match with Kawa. Swiatek's big hitting paired superbly with Kawa's return winners and deft volleys, and they took a commanding 6-2, 4-0 lead.

Bouzkova and top-ranked doubles player Siniakova refused to yield so easily, and they won four games in a row to make things competitive. But Swiatek sealed a quick hold for 5-4, then Kawa powered through another return game to break Bouzkova at love and finish Poland's comeback.

It was a big win for Kawa, who is now 4-3 in doubles action at the Billie Jean King Cup throughout her career. Like Noskova, Kawa's birthday is on Sunday -- the Pole turned 32 years old during her doubles victory.

wtatennis.com

What a fun day of tennis this turned into. An almost 7 hour battle for Poland to get through to their first ever semi finals at this event. 

Absolute elation. 

So proud of the way Iga fought today and handled the hard hitting of Linda Noskova, served magnificently too (at about 80 percent).

But the thing that brought me the most joy was seeing Iga playing women's doubles. So many people forgot how good she is in doubles (did make Roland Garros semis and finals in 2020 and 2021). 

I'm amazed at how well Iga handled the quick turn around of half an hour rest and the switch from singles to doubles. Her adaptability is another thing people don't give her enough credit for. All this and having to play until well after midnight (match finished around 1:15am). 

Only in Tennis.

Good thing they all have a day off tomorrow, because they'll need to catch up on their sleep.

Next up for Poland will be Italy and a meeting with Jasmine Paolini another fun one in store.

 

Jazda!

Iga Swiatek and Magda Linette clinch quarterfinals for Poland at Billie Jean King Cup

 

World No.2 Iga Swiatek and No.38 Magda Linette sealed a victory for Poland over Spain in the first round of the Billie Jean King Cup Finals, giving them an insurmountable 2-0 lead.

The best-of-three tie was postponed from Wednesday due to a severe weather alert in the region. Linette opened the festivities with a marathon 7-6(6), 2-6, 6-4 defeat of Sara Sorribes Tormo in 3 hours and 51 minutes. Swiatek closed out the win by overcoming a second-set wobble to beat Badosa 6-3, 6-7(5), 6-1.

"I wouldn't say I pushed us to quarterfinals," Swiatek said on court. "Magda played an amazing match in the morning. We both did it. I'm really happy that we finally won a match at the Billie Jean King Cup Finals."

Poland advances to the quarterfinals to face 11-time champions the Czech Republic on Saturday. After Karolina Muchova's withdrawal ahead of the event, the Czech squad will be comprised of Linda Noskova, Marie Bouzkova, Sara Bejlek and Katerina Siniakova.

Swiatek and Badosa had exchanged victories in two previous encounters, both in 2021. Badosa scored a 6-3, 7-6(4) upset at the Tokyo Olympic Games, but Swiatek avenged that loss 7-5, 6-4 at the WTA Finals Guadalajara. Initially, there was little between them as their third meeting got underway. For the first six games, the pair delivered a succession of thrilling, high-octane baseline exchanges, and neither gave ground on serve.

After Badosa double faulted down break point at 3-2, Swiatek rattled off seven straight games in dominant fashion to take a 3-0 second-set lead. But Badosa found her form again to fight back and send the set to a tiebreak, which she edged 7-5.

"In the beginning, I felt like it was my best match since I'm back after US Open," Swiatek said, "but later on for sure she pushed me and there was a lot of pressure. The tiebreak, I knew every point mattered and I did one little mistake and unfortunately it went her way.

"But I knew I could come back in the third set and try to win it for Poland."

While holding serve was the norm in the first set, it proved to be a premium in the third. After exchanging three breaks of serve to open the decider, Swiatek snapped the streak to hold for a 3-1 lead. She extended her advantage to a double-break to lead 4-1 before the match was paused to attend to an ill spectator. On the resumption, Swiatek protected her lead to close out the win.

Earlier, Linette put Poland up 1-0 on the hosts by coming back from 3-0 down in the third set to earn her first career win over Sorribes Tormo. Linette had lost all four of her previous meetings with Sorribes Tormo, including at the 2023 Billie Jean King Cup Finals.

"I hate playing Sara so much!" she said in her on-court interview. "I knew it was going to take me four hours, and it did."

Sorribes Tormo showed immense grit to the very last point. On Linette's first match point, Sorribes Tormo conjured a remarkable lob off a Linette drive volley that just dropped inside the court. However, the Pole continued to commit to coming forward, and solid net play finally saw her get over the line.

wtatennis.com

It's so good to see Iga one more time before the season ends. It's especially good to see her playing well and enjoying herself in a team atmosphere. 

I was so disappointed when Iga didn't make it out of the group stage at WTA Finals this year (due to dumb round robin rules that give me a headache) watching her here is more than making up for it. 

Her match with Linda Noskova tomorrow could be a  lot of fun.

I can honestly say I've enjoyed this year's BJK Cup more than the ATP Finals, which have been a bit predictable and boring. 

With Alcaraz out in the group stages due to a bad cold, I will be shocked if anyone other than Jannik Sinner wins it.

Iga Swiatek loses to Gauff in WTA Finals Round Robin still with a shot to make the semis

On Thursday, three players will be competing for two semifinal spots out of the Orange Group at the WTA Finals Riyadh presented by PIF. Sort of.

One of those spots is assured of going to Coco Gauff, whose straight-sets win over Iga Swiatek on Tuesday -- just her second over the Pole in 13 career meetings -- ensured that the World No.3 has a place in the knockout rounds. But her position is up in the air -- though the American largely controls her own destiny in the race to finish as group winner.

One of those spots is assured of going to Coco Gauff, whose straight-sets win over Iga Swiatek on Tuesday -- just her second over the Pole in 13 career meetings -- ensured that the World No.3 has a place in the knockout rounds. But her position is up in the air -- though the American largely controls her own destiny in the race to finish as group winner.

Swiatek, and Wimbledon champion Barbora Krejcikova, are in contention for the remaining spot. On Thursday, Gauff will face Krejcikova and Swiatek will face 2023 WTA Finals runner-up Jessica Pegula, who has no chance of repeating that feat in Riyadh, having already been eliminated from semifinal contention with two straight-set losses to Gauff and Krejcikova.

Let's break the road to the semifinals down for all three women.

How can Gauff win the group?

A win for Gauff against Krejcikova will put her into the semifinals as the group's winner with a 3-0 record, no matter the result between Swiatek and Pegula.

Crucially, the first-place finisher in the Orange Group will avoid a semifinal against World No.1 Aryna Sabalenka, who has qualified for the semifinals as the winner of the Purple Group.

Gauff can also finish in the top spot if Krejcikova beats her in three sets AND Swiatek beats Pegula.

What is Swiatek's path to the semifinals?

Swiatek, the 2023 WTA Finals champion, has only one path to the knockout rounds: She must beat Pegula, and Gauff must also win, for Swiatek to qualify in the second spot.

 
Where does Krejcikova fit in?

Krejcikova -- who lost a 6-4, 3-0 lead to Swiatek earlier in the week -- put herself back in contention with her 6-3, 6-3 win over Pegula. The Czech can clinch the top spot in the group for herself -- and avoid a match against Sabalenka, whom she's lost to six times in seven matches, in the semifinals -- if she beats Gauff in two sets and Swiatek beats Pegula, or if she beats Gauff and Pegula beats Swiatek.

Krejcikova will qualify behind Gauff if Pegula beats Swiatek.

wtatennis.com

Well I did say it would come down to who's more solid on the forehand and serve and it kind of did. 

Despite Iga having plenty of chances in set 2 in particular (and being up a break twice) Gauff won all the important point and subsequently won the match in straights. 

Quality wise the match was all over the place from both. I'd say only the first half of set 1 was good.

Iga definitely didn't have her rhythm today on serve or forehand, and once again made too many unforced errors very much the result of lack of match play.

As I said I didn't have high expectations with this tournament but I'm still hopeful for her match against Pegula on Thursday. 

If she plays one solid match this tournament without getting broken that will be a win for this tournament.

Regardless of how the result with Saba in the semis would go. Selfishly I just want to see her play a bit more before the season comes to a close.

But of course it's not only up to Iga. It's up to the woman that beat her. She wins Iga goes through (round robin math is confusingly ridiculous).

Jazda Iga, go out there and play without any pressure. Plenty of players have won this thing even though they were down and out. Never say never.

Iga Swiatek gets hard fought first win at WTA Finals after 2 months absence from tour

I have  missed this outfit very much love the shoes

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia -- Down a set and two service breaks in the second, No.2 seed Iga Swiatek rallied to stun No.8 Barbora Krejcikova 4-6, 7-5, 6-2 on Sunday at the WTA Finals Riyadh presented by PIF.

The unlikely victory kept alive Swiatek’s flickering hopes of reclaiming the No.1 ranking from Aryna Sabalenka.

The first step was nearly a staggering misstep, as Swiatek, who hadn’t played a match in two months and arrived here with a new coach, at times looked flustered. It wasn’t until she was down 3-0 in the second set that she began to look like a five-time Grand Slam singles champion.

“Even though I played a lot of those [practice] matches,” Swiatek said afterward. “I kind of forgot for a while how it is to feel all those things, a bit different stress and emotions. For sure, I needed some time to adapt. The most important thing was that even though it happened, I managed to fight through that. And was patient enough to wait to get better.”

In a season marred by injury, Krejcikova had played only 29 matches coming into these WTA Finals. But seven of them, all victories, happened at Wimbledon and, based on new rules, she qualified for her second year-end tournament in singles.

Krejcikova pounced immediately in this one, breaking Swiatek’s opening service game when the 23-year-old from Poland launched an awkward forehand long. Swiatek’s best chance to level the set came with Krejcikova serving at 3-2. A double fault -- the first sign of nerves -- gave Swiatek three break points. Krejcikova saved them all and escaped with the game when Swiatek’s return was long.

In the second set, Krejcikova again started quickly, breaking Swiatek in her first two service games and taking what looked to be an insurmountable 3-0 lead. But just as suddenly, after Swiatek scored two breaks, it was 3-all.

They continued on serve until, with Krejcikova serving to force a tiebreak, Swiatek broke through once more. She converted her second set point when a Krejcikova backhand soared long. After 107 minutes, it was one set apiece -- and both players had won 69 points.

The momentum continued for Swiatek when she broke Krejcikova to take a 2-0 lead, which soon ballooned to 5-0. Krejcikova extended it with one last break.

Swiatek won 13 of the final 17 games. Overall, she hit 10 aces and finished with 40 winners. Match time: 2 hours, 32 minutes.

“Honestly, I just focused on getting the balls in,” Swiatek said of the early going. “I needed to focus on the easy stuff. My main goal was just to be solid.

“I’m happy that I won because at the beginning I felt a little bit rusty. “

She's now 10-3 in matches at the WTA Finals, a winning percentage of 76.9, equaling Elina Svitolina’s standard for active players, with a minimum of 10 matches. Swiatek is now 60-8 (.882), the WTA Tour’s best winning percentage.

“It definitely wasn’t the best tennis I can play, but I was really quite solid,” Krejcikova said afterward. “I just feel I lost a little bit the momentum of the match and obviously, I’m not really sure if it was me or Iga. She just came up and started to play more aggressive, started to hit her targets better.

“Yeah, unfortunately, it’s Iga -- and you have to play two sets better than her.”

Even if Swiatek goes on to win the year-end event, Sabalenka can wrap up the top spot by winning her two remaining matches in group play.

In advance of the WTA Finals, for the first time in a couple of years, Swiatek actually practiced with Sabalenka -- the player who snatched away her No.1 ranking near the end of the past two seasons.

In 2023, Swiatek put together a blazing 11-0 run -- that included the title at the WTA Finals in Cancun -- and took it back. But this year, the gap was larger and the task more daunting. Swiatek needed another title at the year-end championships, along with some help from Sabalenka.

“Obviously we’re both fighting for this spot,” Swiatek said ahead of play. “Yeah, it’s been us basically kind of over the past few years. I mean, I am in the tournament. I obviously want to play my best game here and win this tournament.

“I’m just going to focus on my first match and do everything step by step.”


wtatennis.com

Well it wasn't a pretty start, but in tennis it's not really how you start but how you finish. And as the match went on and Iga calmed down she got into a better rhythm and took it to Krejcikova. 

I really didn't know what to expect after such a long absence, and I definitely knew there would be some rust as was apparent in the first set and a half. I'm actually really impressed with how Iga was able to not panic and regroup despite not having to feel this sort of stress for 2 months. 

It made me sad to hear in Polish interviews that she had to stop thinking about a lot of external factors coming from Poland during her match. 

Which I can only speculate might have something to do with how the media was abusively criticizing her mental coach in particular. 

It's also possible that whatever else was happening was of a very personal nature that effected her greatly. The fact she was able to overcome and block it mid-match just shows her incredible mental resilience. 

Perhaps most impressive today was how many aces Iga hit. 10 in one match is a personal record (don't think I've seen her hit double digits in a match before). Amazingly she had more aces than Sabalenka and Rybakina combined. 

Which is a little mind blowing, but very much welcome. If this is a sign of working with Wim Fisette, more of that please!. And all this before they even get to truly work on things like the serve and her game in the off season. 

Coco Gauff up next for Iga who had a solid 2nd career win over Pegula. Even though Iga has an overwhelming H2H I never take their matches lightly especially since Coco has been playing solidly after the U.S. Open. So it'll come down to who's more solid on the forehand and serve-wise. 

Hopefully Iga will have a much better start and is able to feel the court better after a lengthy battle. 

Most of all I'm just so damn happy to see her back on court, I'm aware I'm coming off very biased as I say this but she has breathed a bit of life to the end of this season. 

Which at times  has lacked energy and intrigue in the last few months.

Top 8 Women of the 2024 WTA Finals all glamoured up in Riyadh

 

WTA Finals defending champion Iga Swiatek lands in Orange Group with Pegula and Gauff

Defending champion Iga Swiatek was on hand for the draw ceremony at the WTA Finals Riyadh presented by PIF to see how this year's groups shook out for the season-ending championships.

For the second straight year, the year-end No.1 ranking will come down to the final event of the season, as World No.1 Aryna Sabalenka looks to hold off No.2 Swiatek down the final stretch.

 
Singles Draw

Purple Group
[1] Aryna Sabalenka
[4] Jasmine Paolini
[5] Elena Rybakina
[7] Zheng Qinwen

Orange Group
[2] Iga Swiatek
[3] Coco Gauff
[6] Jessica Pegula
[8] Barbora Krejcikova

Tournament format: Round-robin play begins on Saturday, Nov. 2 at 3:30 p.m. on the indoor hard courts at the King Saud University Sports Arena. The top two finishers out of each group will advance to the semifinals on Friday, Nov. 8, with the winners advancing to the final on Saturday, Nov.9.

Top-seeded Sabalenka and the Purple Group will get underway on Saturday, with the Orange Group set to begin on Sunday.

Order of Play: Day 1

[3] Hsieh/Mertens vs. [6] Melichar-Martinez/Perez
[1] Sabalenka vs. [7] Zheng
[4] Paolini vs. [5] Rybakina
[1] Kichenok/Ostapenko vs. [8] Siniakova/Townsend

Order of Play: Day 2

[2] Dabrowski/Routliffe vs. [7] Chan/Kudermetova
[2] Swiatek vs. [8] Krejcikova
[3] Gauff vs. [6] Pegula
[4] Errrani/Paolini vs. [5] Dolehide/Krawczyk

In the 53rd staging of the Hologic WTA Tour's crown-jewel event, this season's eight best singles players and doubles teams will battle it out for a record-setting total prize money purse of $15,250,000, with an undefeated singles champion set to take home over $5 million.

wtatennis.com

Iga Swiatek hires Wim Fisette as new coach

World No.1 Iga Swiatek has hired Wim Fissette as her new coach as she continues to prepare for next month's WTA Finals Riyadh.

"I'm happy to announce that Wim Fissette is joining our team," Swiatek posted on social media. "As you know, I'm preparing for the WTA Finals but my perspective is, as always, long-term, not short-term. I said many times that my career is a marathon for me, not a sprint and I'm working, operating and making decisions with this approach.

"I want to say that I'm very excited and looking forward to working with Wim. He seems to have a great attitude, vision and huge experience at a very top level of tennis. It's always crucial to try and get to know each other better but we're off to a good start and I can't wait to compete soon."

The news comes two weeks after the end of her three-year partnership with Tomasz Wiktorowski, with whom she had worked since the end of 2021 -- a period during which Swiatek won fiour of her five Grand Slam titles and ascended to World No.1 for the first time. Prior to Wiktorowski, Swiatek had been coached by Piotr Sierzputowski since 2016. Fissette will be her first non-Polish coach.

Swiatek will be the sixth sometime World No.1 player Fissette has coached. The 44-year-old Belgian has previously had stints with Kim Clijsters, Simona Halep, Victoria Azarenka, Angelique Kerber and Naomi Osaka. Fissette has coached Osaka in matches against Swiatek twice -- in the 2022 Miami final, which Osaka lost 6-4, 6-0; and in the Roland Garros second round this year, which Osaka lost 7-6(1), 1-6, 7-5 from match point up. Osaka announced the end of their four-year collaboration in September.

Swiatek has not competed since her quarterfinal loss to Jessica Pegula at the US Open, and her World No.1 ranking will be under threat from Aryna Sabalenka in the coming weeks.

wtatennis.com

Well Wim was indeed the top choice. Makes perfect sense. 1 He was available having just split with Osaka. 2 He has so much experience working with world #1s and his calm temperament really fits the Iga team vibe. 

I really think he'll help Iga develop her skills as a player, make her use all the tools in her tool box and not be afraid to come to the net. 

Obviously big changes are not something that will happen over night, but I'm genuinely excited to see them work together at the WTA Finals in a few short weeks. 

And speaking of the WTA Finals it now seems that Iga will literally have to win every single match in order to take back the number one ranking (and Saba would have to lose 1 or 2). 

Even then it may not be enough and it's very likely Saba will keep the #1 ranking into next year.

Oh yeah, I'm posting this a bit late so Sabalenka is now officially the new world number one again as of this week. 

Thanks to probably the dumbest change in the ranking system in the sports history. 

A system that apparently penalizes a player for not losing badly enough in the mandatory 500 events (of which there are now unnecessarily 6 of), or something along those lines. 

Seriously the fact that the WTA had to release an article explaining it is evidence in itself. 

We went from 12 mandatory tournaments to 20 in one year and extended quite a few by 2 weeks. And this is how the ranking is calculated?. 

Your least bad mandatory event result?. 

Absolutely ridiculous.

I really hope it is corrected in the very near future, or literally no one will be able to understand how it works much less be able to follow it. 

However this season ends for Iga I just honestly cannot wait to see her back on court again. I just want to see her healthy, happy and thriving in a sport she loves and is so damn good at.

The tour is simply not the same without her around.

Iga Swiatek splits with coach Tomasz Wiktorowski

World No.1 Iga Swiatek has announced the end of her three-year coaching partnership with Tomasz Wiktorowski. Swiatek announced the news on Instagram on Friday.

"After 3 years of the greatest achievements in my career, together with my coach Tomasz Wiktorowski we decided to part way," Swiatek wrote. "I want to start with a big thank you and appreciating our work together."

Swiatek hired Wiktorowski, the long-time coach of former World No.2 at the end of the 2021 season. Under Wiktorowski's tutelage, Swiatek went on to capture four of her five Grand Slams, ascend to World No.1, and engineer the longest win streak of the 2000s, reeling off 37 consecutive wins in 2022. Together, they captured 19 of her 22 career titles and an Olympic silver medal this past summer.

Last year, Wiktorowski was voted the WTA's Coach of the Year by his peers.

"Coach Wiktorowski joined my team for three seasons, when I strongly needed changes and a fresh approach to my game," Swiatek wrote. "His experience, analytical and strategic attitude and enormous knowledge about tennis helped us to achieve things I've never dreamed of only a few months after we started working together.

"Our main goal was to become No.1 player in the world and coach Wiktorowski was the one who said it first. We aimed very high, we headed to every tournament with a clear goal to win it. Together with coach Wiktorowski we won many tournaments and 4 Grand Slams."

Swiatek withdrew from this week's China Open, where was a defending champion, and next week's Dongfeng Voyah Wuhan Open. This year, she has won four WTA 1000 titles this year at Doha, Indian Wells, Madrid and Rome, as well as her fifth major title at Roland Garros. She has qualified for her fourth consecutive WTA Finals in Riyadh, which will be played in November.

She confirmed in her post that she is in the midst of the process of hiring a new coach.

"Due to this important change on my team, I give myself a couple of weeks to start a cooperation with a new coach," she wrote. "I'm in the middle of first talks with coaches from abroad (non-Polish) because I'm ready to take the next step of my career. I will let you know when I make a decision."

According to Swiatek's post, the decision to end her work with Wiktorowski was mutual and amicable.

"Coach, THANK YOU, I wish you all the best," Swiatek wrote. "I know that you would like to rest after these 3 years of hard work and traveling a lot and spending some well deserved time with your loved ones and I hope you'll get what you need."

wtatennis.com

This was quite surprise to fans and tennis personalities alike. I think for many the most surprising is the timing. 

On the one hand it would seem to make more sense to stay with the same coach till the end of the year and start fresh in 2025. 

On the other hand on the constant hamster wheel that is the tennis tour there is no good time for something like this. 

End of the season does give her more time to find someone and see how they gel in the off season before working on tour together. The spit certainly seemed mutual. 

As she states seems like her coach has had enough of the tour life and Iga herself is searching for some new energy and a new voice. 

Being very ambitious she's always working on improving her game and I guess on some level she felt like with Thomas she has gone as far as she could.

Seems like Iga realized that if she wants to do better at places like Wimbledon or Australia she has to be willing to make some big changes.

He helped her fulfill everything he promised chief among them being world #1 and then some. What they have done together is nothing short of extraordinary  19 titles in all (4 of them Slams). 

Wiktorowski really helped to unlock Iga's potential so as a fan I'll always be grateful for that. Having Iga at the top of the sport has made it better.

She'll now be working with a non-Polish coach (something she mentioned she might be ready for in 2 or 3 years). So in that sense she's definitely sticking to that timeline. Which will be fascinating.   

There's a lot of online speculation about who that person might be. Top 2 at the moment seem to be former coach of Osaka and Kerber, Wim Fisette. As well as Justine Henin's coach Carlos Rodriguez. 

All very intriguing choices. I guess the question will be how receptive the rest of the Iga team will be to allowing someone new to take the lead and bring in some changes.

It's understandable that Iga has chosen to withdraw from some tournaments to deal with it all (also mentioned being tired having played so many tournaments again this year). 

Selfishly I was hoping she she would play Wuhan because 2 months without Iga is just too long. And in my very biased opinion the tour is a bit boring without her in the mix.

Plus it also means the WTA Finals will be a real battle for world #1 again. A spot which Sabalenka could once again take if she were to reach the quarter finals of Wuhan. Muchova stopped her in Bejing but she's always had more success in Wuhan.

Iga Swiatek moves to 7th place on all time world #1 list at 122 weeks

Sometimes it's hard to believe this image is from 2022 & 2 years later Iga is still #1

World No.1 Iga Swiatek will spend her 122nd week at World No.1 on the PIF WTA Rankings this week, moving past Ashleigh Barty to sit at No.7 on the all-time list.

Only six players have tallied more weeks as World No.1 than Swiatek:

Cumulative weeks at World No.1:

1. Stefanie Graf: 377 weeks
2. Martina Navratilova: 332 weeks
3. Serena Williams: 319 weeks
4. Chris Evert: 260 weeks
5. Martina Hingis: 209 weeks
6. Monica Seles: 178 weeks
7. Iga Swiatek: 122 weeks

Barty first ascended to No.1 in June of 2019 after winning back-to-back tournaments at the French Open and Birmingham. The Australian held the top ranking for seven weeks before being overtaken by Naomi Osaka for four weeks. Barty retook the top ranking after the 2019 US Open and held it for 114 consecutive weeks until her retirement in April 2022.

Barty's retirement made way for then-No.2 Swiatek, 19, to ascend to the top spot and make history as Poland's first World No.1. She responded with a remarkable 2022 campaign, which saw her win 37 consecutive matches -- the longest streak of the 21st century -- from Doha until Wimbledon and finishing as year-end No.1.

Swiatek held the top ranking for 75 consecutive weeks before relinquishing it to Aryna Sabalenka after the 2023 US Open. Swiatek's 75-week streak is the third longest in tour history for a first-time No.1, behind only Stefanie Graf (186) and Martina Hingis (80).

Last year, Swiatek mounted a furious challenge to retake the World No.1 and finish as year-end No.1 for the second straight season. She won her last 11 matches of the season, taking 22 of 23 sets to sweep titles at the China Open and WTA Finals. With the year-end No.1 ranking on the line in the final two matches of the year, she defeated Sabalenka in the WTA Finals semifinals and then locked up No.1 by beating Jessica Pegula 6-1, 6-0 in the championship match.


Swiatek has held the No.1 ranking ever since, extending her active streak to 47 consecutive weeks.

More outstanding numbers behind Swiatek's rise and reign at No.1:


Since 2000, Swiatek (26) is one of only three players to claim 25 or more Top 10 wins while holding the No.1 ranking, along with Serena Williams (62) and Justine Henin (28).


Among the 10 players to hold the No.1 ranking over the past 10 years, Swiatek (156) has recorded the most tour-level match wins, eclipsing Serena Williams' 143 wins.


With 21 consecutive wins between Madrid and Wimbledon this year, Swiatek became the first player to win more than 20 straight matches as World No.1 since Serena Williams (26, 2014-15).Since the start of the 2020 season, Swiatek (42) has recorded the most Top 10 wins of any player. She is one of only two players with 25 or more, along with Aryna Sabalenka.


Among the 34 players with more than 20 matches vs. Top 10 opponents since 2020, Swiatek (72.4%, 42-16) is the only player to hold a winning percentage above 50%.

wtatennis.com

Defending Champion Iga Swiatek withdraws from Bejing

World No.1 and defending champion Iga Swiatek has withdrawn from the upcoming China Open in Beijing, citing personal reasons, she and the tournament announced on Friday.

"Due to personal matters, I’m forced to withdraw from the China Open in Beijing. I’m very sorry as I had an amazing time playing and winning this tournament last year and was really looking forward to being back there.

"I know that the fans will experience great tennis there and I’m sorry I won’t be a part of it this time."

The China Open begins on Sept. 25. Last year, Swiatek lost just one set in Beijing en route to winning her sixth career WTA 1000 title in her tournament debut. After ending 2023 US Open champion Coco Gauff's 16-match winning streak in the semifinals, Swiatek defeated Liudmila Samsonova in the final.

This year, Swiatek has won four of the previous eight WTA 1000 events played but last competed in New York. She also withdrew from this week's Hana Bank Korea Open in Seoul citing fatigue.

While Swiatek, World No.9 Maria Sakkari (continuing shoulder injury) and World No.10 Danielle Collins (illness) have withdrawn from the main-draw field, the rest of the Top 10 in the PIF WTA Rankings are all expected to compete. In addition, 2019 US Open champion Bianca Andreescu has withdrawn from qualifying with a knee injury.

Reigning Australian Open and US Open champion Aryna Sabalenka will be the top seed in Beijing, a tournament at which she has reached the quarterfinals twice in three career appearances, and US Open runner-up Jessica Pegula is expected to be seeded No.2.

wtatennis.com

I hope everything is ok whatever the reason, hope Iga takes all the time she needs. Though for me the tournament won't be the same without her. 

Thoughts on Iga Swiatek's U.S. Open 2024

Ever since Iga's loss in the Quarterfinals of the U.S. Open there has been a lot of talk on social media regarding improving her tennis starting with changing her team members. Which seems to be the case literally every time she loses early in a Slam. 

People really don't seem to get that a good team takes years to put together and trust not to mention have any meaningful results with. 

Sure sometimes a new voice or perspective is helpful, but the reality of this sport (any sport really) is that you win more than you lose no matter who is part of your team. 

It is impossible to win every tournament no matter how good of an athlete you are, at the end of the day athletes are still human. And they have periods of doubt, mental and physical fatigue.

I think a  lot of people, maybe even Iga herself underestimated how big of a part the Olympics played in the exhaustion for her this year. 

Representing Poland at the Olympics  meant everything to her and the emotions of not winning gold, but coming back to win the bronze must have felt so exhilarating and depleting all at once.

And I think on some level it all contributed to this poor performance in the quarters. It was probably her worst performance all year (and considering she's played over 50 matches) is extraordinary, but sadly under appreciated by many. 

She won 5 titles in the first half of the season (all of them WTA 1000) which are equally as difficult if not more so than a Slam, and yet they don't seem to count because only one of them was a Slam. I don't understand the mentality this sport has regarding the 4 big events.

Tour accomplishments should get the same level of recognition and yet the governing bodies put less significance to them throughout the year and only seem to remember them as part of summation at the end of each season. Or they only get a mention if you win more than 1 slam in a given year. And it's so weird to me. 

While they're important and get the most attention they alone would not be enough to sustain a player in a season (financially and motivation-wise). It's the tour events that showcase how great someone is at managing themselves throughout the year.  

Granted the tour tournaments come with it's on pitfalls which include poor organization in terms of the amount the players are required to play which in the last few years have greatly increased along with the tournaments length.

All of that combined makes it extremely difficult for any player these days to be able to work on their game while constantly on tour. 

Unless they choose to take an extended break either voluntarily or due to injury (as was the case for Sabalenka and Pegula this year). Both of whom reached the U.S. Open final. 

Sabalenka skipped the Olympics and Wimbledon due to injury and I believe it is the sole reason she won. She had plenty of time to rest and properly prepare.

Iga was asked this question in the post match presser and said she has no plans to do the same. I can see both sides of this argument, and the advantages and disadvantages that come with. 

On the one hand it'd allow her to work on things at own pace, but on the other she might be a person for whom an extended break makes it harder to get back into the rhythm and stay motivated (not the mention all the external factors of sponsors, endorsements and being world #1).

Sure she has under performed in Slams as a whole, something her and her team will undoubtedly work hard on to improve. But it is not something that will happen overnight as some people out there seem to think. It's a process that takes time.

As a fan I'm also getting very tired of comments regarding a players ability to dominate on one surface, clay in Iga's case (hard court in Aryna's).

I see nothing wrong with it. Plenty of players have made a whole career out of one particular time of year (Nadal being the prime example). 

Of course in Iga's case the argument is that as the world #1 she should be more adapt on all surfaces on tour. 

Which is valid. 

But there's also the fact that Iga is only 23, even the greatest champions of this sport didn't figure out the different surfaces over night. It took them years, in some cases quite a few. 

Some never did.

But I firmly believe that with her skill, patience and hard work Iga will get there as well. 

It's premature to write off someone's whole career based off of one season's result (a season which isn't even over yet I might add). 

But sadly it seems to be something a lot of people are doing in regards to Iga after this U.S. Open especially and it's quite disparaging for someone of her talent. 

My hope for the rest of this season and beyond is that Iga gets some time to properly relax and recharge before getting back to training and whatever else she needs in order to continue to enjoy being a part of this sport. 

Because the sport is truly better with her in it.

Iga Swiatek back in the quarterfinals of U.S. Open

 

WHAT HAPPENED: While the rest of the women’s field is busy making headlines and stealing the spotlight at the 2024 US Open, top seed and former champion Iga Swiatek is quietly making her way through the draw.

In her milestone 100th Grand Slam singles match Monday night, Swiatek celebrated with a 6-4, 6-1 win over Liudmila Samsonova to move into the quarterfinals and bring her record at the majors to 83-17.

The world No. 1 has not yet dropped a set through four rounds, and her high level of play showed no signs of weakness against the 6-foot-tall Samsonova.

The No. 16 seed’s big game kept her toe-to-toe with Swiatek through much of the first set, giving fans in Arthur Ashe Stadium a peek into why she has been to this stage of a major twice before. But once Swiatek got a look at triple set point on Samsonova’s serve in the 10th game, she ran away with the opportunity and closed out the one-set lead.

“At the beginning I felt like we were playing men's style tennis, holding serve every game,” Swiatek said post-match. “But I knew if I kept pushing I would have chances to break her serve. In the second I just wanted to keep being focused and not let my mind drift off.”

By the start of the second set, Swiatek had settled into her service game and took a firm grip on the match, winning 13 of 14 first-serve points and 56 percent of return points. Two breaks of serve were all the Pole needed to shut down Samsonova’s game and seal the victory in the second after racing out to a 5-0 lead.

WHAT IT MEANS: The top seed’s win ensures she still has a chance to add to her WTA-leading season. Swiatek leads the WTA Tour with 57 match wins on the year after taking five titles, including her fourth Roland Garros crown, and an Olympic bronze medal.

Swiatek’s next opponent in New York is a familiar one, as she will square off against No. 6 seed Jessica Pegula in their third quarterfinal meeting at a Grand Slam. Previously, Swiatek defeated the American at this same stage en route to her 2022 Roland Garros and US Open titles. As they enter their 10th career meeting, the Pole owns a 6-3 advantage.

Wednesday’s match will be the pair's first meeting this year, and with the American playing some of her best tennis, Swiatek knows that she will need to keep her legs fresh and ready for what is sure to be a physical match.

"Jess is never easy to play," said the top seed. "She has a tricky game style so I have to be ready for longer rallies. She's a great player, so for sure it’s going to be a challenge."

MATCH POINT: Swiatek did not face a single break point in the match, and has only lost two of four break points the entire tournament.

usopen.org

That first round of this U.S. Open is starting to look and feel like an anomaly. 

She has dramatically improved her game (her backhand in particular) in the last few matches and gone back to relying on her strength which is her speed, defense and return all of which she is doing in a more controlled manner (I'm honestly getting shades of 2022). 

And it's making me so happy. You can actually see she's enjoying herself out there despite being tired (it being another long season and all).

It's like she's found that level she usually only finds on her favourite surface and the one she found at the end of the season last year starting in Bejing.  And it's an absolute joy to witness again. 

Pegula will certainly be her biggest test yet (I thought Samsonova would be but she was only able to bring it for parts of set 1). 

Given the form Pegula is in winning in Canada she certainly  won't be short on confidence. 

The question remains though whether she will feel some nerves trying to reach her first ever Grand Slam semi something she has never done before and has a bit of a hang up on.

But I know Iga won't be counting on that she'll play her game to the best of her ability. I know she'll leave it all out on the court on Wednesday and I can't wait!.

Jazda Iga, like your fave tv show character Ted Lasso we believe :)                                  

For the first time in her career, Iga Świątek has gone three consecutive matches without getting broken. And not only that, but did it without facing a single break point across the 2R, 3R, and 4R (25 games).


12 - Defeating Liudmila Samsonova, Iga Swiatek is one of only four players in the past four decades to achieve 12 straight Grand Slam match wins over WTA top 20 opponents along with Steffi Graf, Monica Seles and Serena Williams. Eminent.


83 - Among those to begin their career in the Open Era, only six have more wins from their first 100 GS matches than Iga Swiatek (83): Monica Seles, 93 Chris Evert, 90 Steffi Graf, 87 Martina Hingis & S. Williams, 86 V. Williams, 85 Company.