Iga Swiatek loses heartbreaking semi at Aussie Open

 Well it happened, for the first time in her young career Iga lost a match from a set and match point up. A score line of 7/5 1/6 6/7 (10/8)

And it hurts, I can only imagine how Iga must have felt in the moment absolutely devasted no doubt. So close to becoming the first ever Polish Australian Open finalist. 

We were one point away from the first ever Iga vs Aryna meeting in a Slam final *sigh*

This match give me flashbacks to Wimbledon 2019 when Roger Federer lost to Djokovic with 2 match points on his serve. Never a fun one to remember as a Federer fan.

As Iga herself said in post match, that's sport for you, sometimes it just doesn't go your way. Obviously I still think that sooner rather than later Iga will finally get there. Being 23 she certainly has time on her side. 

But even knowing that, it still feels like today was such a huge lost opportunity. The draw this year was probably the most favorable Iga received in years. Playing at night in the slower conditions barely losing games to get to the semis, seemed like the stars were aligned. And yet. 

It was quite a nervy match from both lots of breaks of serve, but Iga still managed to steal the first set.

Quite a few unforced errors as wel  l. I think the nerves really effected the serve too just wasn't there for her in key moments, like 7-5 in the 10 point super tiebreak. 

 She was ahead in the breaker at least 3 times all she needed was one good unreturned serve and it could have completely turned the outcome on it's head. With 7 double faults and zero aces however hard not to feel pressure when you can't rely on your serve for some free points. 

Granted the fact that she still got to a tiebreak with twice as many unforced errors as winners is commendable. It shows real progress, Iga of last year probably would have completely panicked, overhit and lost this in straight sets. 

But today she really fought to the very end. And it was truly one of those tiebreaks that could have gone either way.

I have to give Madison Keys her due I didn't expect her to hold up physically after winning Adelaide and having so many 3 setters here. Respect. 

Will  she have enough to stop Aryna Sabalanka from becoming the 3rd player in history to 3peet at Aussie Open?. Honestly I think at this point the only person left who can stop Sabalenka is Sabalenka herself.

It may not have been the result we all wanted today, but looking at the positives she made her first semi in Australia in 3 years. 

Playing at night under the roof (probably her least fave conditions) on a fast hardcourt with a big hitter all things that everyone kept saying were not favorable to her ever winning in Aus. 

Yet she still almost pulled off the win.

With a new coach she's only been working with a few months. I saw her come to the net more often in this match then I have in the past 3 years. 

If she keeps working on it, you never know might finally be able to do something big on the grass of Wimbledon.

Everything is still a work in progress, but she made huge strides and with Wim at her side I'm absolutely certain it'll only get better. 

The season has only just begun, plenty of chances to improve and strive for more. 

Hold your head up high Iga, you give it your all and fought your heart out. You did Poland proud as always. 

As the saying goes you learn more from losses then victories. This will only make you stronger.

To paraphrase the great Sir Andy Murray you're getting closer. Rest up champ. See you on the tour in February.

Onward to the next.

Jazda!

Iga Swiatek makes 2nd career semi final at Australian Open

 

MELBOURNE -- World No.2 Iga Swiatek needed 89 minutes to make her first Grand Slam semifinal outside Roland Garros since winning the 2022 US Open. On Wednesday, the five-time major champion eased past No.8 Emma Navarro 6-1, 6-2 in the Australian Open quarterfinals.

Swiatek, 23, is the youngest player to reach seven Grand Slam semifinals since Maria Sharapova reached her seventh at the 2006 US Open. She has lost just 14 games en route to the semifinals, the fewest since Sharapova in 2013 (9). Only Sharapova, Monica Seles in 1991 (12) and Stefanie Graf in 1989 (13) have dropped fewer games to make the Australian Open semifinals in the Open Era since the tournament moved to 128-player draws.

Swiatek made her first hard-court Grand Slam semifinal at the Australian Open in 2022, where she lost to Danielle Collins. She will face another American for a spot in the final when she takes on No.14 Madison Keys. A champion in Adelaide two weeks ago, Keys notched her tour-leading 12th win of the season by defeating Elina Svitolina 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 in the earlier quarterfinal.

The singles semifinals will be played on Thursday evening at Melbourne Park. Swiatek and Keys will follow the first semifinal between World No.1 Aryna Sabalenka and No.12 Paula Badosa. If Sabalenka and Swiatek advance to Saturday's final, the blockbuster showdown will determine who leaves Melbourne Park as the Hologic WTA Tour World No.1.

In their first meeting since 16-year-olds at an ITF event in 2018, Swiatek broke first to lead 2-0 and took immediate control of the match. On a blustery day at Melbourne Park, Swiatek tapped into her aggressive clay-court style to push Navarro around the court, with deft and patient use of her topspin forehand. After pocketing the first set in 35 minutes, Swiatek was put under more consistent pressure in the early stages of the second set.

Navarro, playing in her third consecutive Grand Slam quarterfinal, earned her first break point of the match with Swiatek serving at 2-2. Swiatek wiped out that sole chance and broke in the next game. In all, Navarro managed to take Swiatek to deuce in three service games in the second set, but the former No.1 stood tall to finish her day perfect from the service line. She has not been broken in her last four matches.

With an eye towards reclaiming the No.1 ranking from Aryna Sabalenka, Swiatek is the only semifinalist who has yet to drop a set in the tournament. Since her 6-3, 6-4 win over Katerina Siniakova in the first round, Swiatek has not lost more than 2 games in a set.

wtatennis.com

For just the 2nd time in her young career Iga Swiatek is back in semi-finals of the Australian Open. I have waited 3 long years for this. And it feels so damn good to say. 

The way she took charge from the get go on return of Navarro's serves today took me back to 2022 and the way she kept doing that to all her opponents for 37 straight matches. 

Simply remarkable. Navarro definitely pushed her in the 2nd set I'd say more so than Siniakova in round 1. 

And the set was a lot closer than the score makes it seem.  Lot's of extended physical rallies.

The way she used her speed, and played aggressive but with margin, and patiently waited for the right time to strike was just a joy to see. I have no doubt a lot of this is Wim Fisette's influence. 

Madison Keys her next opponent is always such an unknown, someone who's capable of knocking anyone off the court but also someone who can really go off, lose focus and become an error machine during a match. 

I guess it depends on how her opponent handles the highs and lows and whether they can take advantage. The one win Keys has over Iga was in Cincinnati where she did knock her off the court in quite quick conditions. 

Don't think that'll be the case here however. 

There's a few factors at play like this being a Grand Slam semi (instead of a tournament) Madison's 2nd ever Grand Slam semi if I recall correctly as well. 

So the occasion and nerves will definitely play a huge part. I think if Iga serves well, keeps it close score wise and gets Madison moving she has more than a good chance. It won't be easy, but definitely not impossible. 

Especially given Iga hasn't actually lost a set and unlike the 2022 semi didn't play a 3 hour marathon prior to it. So energy and physically-wise she'll be more than ready. 

Also unlike Cincinnati and the blazing hot sun, here they'll be playing at night where conditions should be much slower due to it being colder. 

I am glad she got things done in straight sets considering she has to play back to back days (today and tomorrow) unlike Sabalenka and Badosa who had a day off. 

Words can't express how badly I want this win for her. After everything she has been through the last few months it'd just feel so damn good. 

And it would finally shut everyone up regarding Iga not being able to play on a fast hard court.

Jazda Iga!, Poland is behind you and believes in you. 

Go out there and play your best like you've been showing the past 2 weeks. 

In fact forget about everything and everyone else just play for you. 

WADA won't appeal Iga Swiatek's case with CAS

The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) confirms that following a thorough review, it will not lodge an appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in the case of Polish tennis player, Iga Świątek, who tested positive for trimetazidine (TMZ), a prohibited substance, in August 2024.

On 28 November, the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA), the independent body that delivers anti-doping programs on behalf of the International Tennis Federation, announced that Ms. Świątek had accepted a one-month period of ineligibility after the ITIA determined that her positive test for TMZ was caused by a contaminated melatonin product that is regulated as a medication in Poland and was sourced from a reputable pharmacy in that country.

WADA has conducted a full review of the case file related to the ITIA decision, which it received on 29 November. WADA’s scientific experts have confirmed that the specific contaminated melatonin scenario, as presented by the athlete and accepted by the ITIA, is plausible and that there would be no scientific grounds to challenge it at CAS.

Further, WADA sought advice from external legal counsel, who considered that the athlete’s contamination explanation was well evidenced, that the ITIA decision was compliant with the World Anti-Doping Code, and that there was no reasonable basis to appeal it to the CAS.

tennis.com

Thank goodness that's all over. Now she can truly just focus on playing the sport she's so damn good at.

Iga Swiatek back in the quaterfinals of Australian Open

 

No.2 seed Iga Swiatek swept into the Australian Open quarterfinals for the second time with a 6-0, 6-1 defeat of lucky loser Eva Lys in 59 minutes.

The five-time major champion has dropped just 11 games in four matches so far, seven of which were lost in the first round to Katerina Siniakova.

The Pole remains in contention to reclaim the World No.1 ranking from Aryna Sabalenka next Monday. Sabalenka will need to defeat Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova in Tuesday's quarterfinal in order to stay ahead of Swiatek. If Swiatek also wins her quarterfinal, Sabalenka will need to reach the final. If the pair meet in the final, the winner will walk away with the World No.1 ranking.

Here are the key numbers from Swiatek's fourth-round rout:

8: This is the eighth time this century that a player has reached the Australian Open quarterfinals for the loss of 11 games or fewer. Swiatek matches the 2024 accomplishment of Sabalenka, who also dropped 11 games to make the last eight and went on to win the title.

The other six runs were by Maria Sharapova (5 games in 2013, lost in semifinals); Serena Williams (8 games in 2013, lost in quarterfinals); Martina Hingis (9 games in 2002, lost in final); Kim Clijsters (10 games in 2002 and 2003, lost in semifinals both years); and Victoria Azarenka (11 games in 2016, lost in quarterfinals).

2: Swiatek improves to 2-0 against Lys, whom she defeated in the 2022 Stuttgart second round -- Lys' first WTA main draw. Ahead of the rematch, Lys recalled that despite the 6-1, 6-1 scoreline, the "amazing rallies" they had played had boosted her confidence. Their second encounter played out in a similar way. Lys intermittently engaged Swiatek in superb exchanges, and even won a handful of them -- with a battle of backhand angles in the second set being the most memorable. Yet she won one fewer game, and lasted three fewer minutes, than in Stuttgart.

"For sure I'm happy that I played in an efficient way," said Swiatek. "I felt pretty confident. So from the beginning I just pushed. I knew that I could make an impact with that."

28: Swiatek once again delivered imperious form, striking 28 winners to Lys' seven -- including five clean return winners. She kept her unforced error tally to 18, compared to Lys' 15.

2: Lys held two break points in the entire match -- both in the very first game. A service winner from Swiatek fended off the first, and Lys sent a backhand long on the second. They would be Lys' only game points of the entire opening set. In total, Swiatek dropped just nine points on serve all match.

13: Lys' loss means that, for a second consecutive major, every player remaining in the last eight has ben to this stage of a Slam before. The last time there were no new Grand Slam quarterfinalists in back-to-back majors wa  s 13 years ago, at Roland Garros and Wimbledon 2012.

1-0: Swiatek leads the head-to-head against her quarterfinal opponent, No.8 seed Emma Navarro, 1-0. Their only previous encounter was back in 2018 in the first round of an ITF W80 event in Charleston on green clay, when both players were 17 years old. Swiatek, a qualifier ranked No.422, defeated No.1124-ranked wild card Navarro 6-0, 6-2, and went on to reach the semifinals (where she lost 6-1, 6-1 to Madison Brengle).

"For sure, I have to treat Emma as a player that I never played," said Swiatek. "We both made huge progress since that time that we faced each other. Her journey has been pretty nice and amazing. I saw the US Open matches. She played really well, fighting for every point and everything."

wtatennis.com

Finally another quarterfinal at Australian Open. It feels so good to say that. Been a long 3 years since she's made it this far.

Another flawless performance from Iga, barely lost any games in week 1. Still extraordinary. 

Sure maybe the opponents haven't been as tough. But still. The discipline it takes to keep that sort of focus is outstanding.

Her next opponent Navarro will definitely test her perhaps even more than Siniakova, but if Iga goes about her game and keeps a level head like she has been I think she'll definitely handle it. 

Navarro is quite fit but she has played 3 sets in all her matches so that's bound to catch up with her, and physicality is certainly something Iga can use to her advantage.

Jazda Iga!. 

Let's get those semis!.

10 - Iga Swiatek is the youngest player to achieve their 10th Women’s Singles QFs in Major events since Svetlana Kuznetsova at the Australian Open 2009. Accelerate.-Opta Ace stat

Iga Swiatek into the 2nd week at Aussie Open

In a third-round clash between Grand Slam champions, World No.2 Iga Swiatek of Poland stormed past Emma Raducanu of Great Britain 6-1, 6-0 on Saturday afternoon at the Australian Open.

"For sure I felt great," Swiatek said in press. "I felt like the ball is listening to me. So just pretty loosened up. At the end I felt like all the tactics and everything I wanted to do, I was able to. So I just kept going."

The two marquee names had won the US Open in back-to-back seasons (Raducanu as a qualifier in 2021, Swiatek as World No.1 in 2022), but today on Rod Laver Arena, Swiatek had the upper hand from start to finish as she collected victory in 70 minutes.

Five-time Grand Slam champion Swiatek is still in contention to reach her first Australian Open final. Her career-best result in Melbourne is a semifinal run in 2022, where she lost to Danielle Collins.

Gunning for the top spot: Moving forward into the Round of 16, Swiatek is still in the running to reclaim the World No.1 ranking she lost to Aryna Sabalenka at the end of last year.

If two-time defending champion Sabalenka does not make this fortnight's semifinals, Swiatek will return to World No.1 after the Australian Open. Otherwise, results from the final four will determine who exits Melbourne at the top of the PIF Rankings.

Confidence bests confidence: Raducanu came into the clash ranked World No.61, over 230 spots higher than she was at this time last year while she was recovering from wrist surgery.

Raducanu had also picked up her first two Top 10 wins during last summer's grass-court season, beating Jessica Pegula at Eastbourne and Maria Sakkari at Wimbledon. She was aiming for her first win over a current Top 4 player today.

Swiatek, though, was in a very familiar spot, playing in the third round of a Grand Slam for the 20th straight major. She is only the fourth player in the Open Era to make this round at 20 consecutive Grand Slam events, joining Martina Navratilova, Conchita Martinez and Arantxa Sanchez Vicario.

In the end, Raducanu's recent surge could not overcome Swiatek's self-belief at these stages. Swiatek is likely aware that she is currently the active player with the highest winning percentage at Grand Slams (86-18, 82.7 percent) and she was brimming with that confidence throughout.

Tactics pay off: Swiatek started the match trying to take the Raducanu forehand out of play. En route to 5-1, Swiatek hit only one serve to the Brit's forehand, and she aimed a majority of her groundstrokes at Raducanu's backhand side as well. Raducanu was unable to hit a backhand winner in the first set (Swiatek had three).

Swiatek was helped along in the first set by consistent and effective serving. She got two-thirds of her first serves into play and won 91 percent of them (11 for 12). She also went 5-for-6 behind her second serves, hitting only one double fault as she claimed the one-set lead.

There wasn't much to change in the second set as Swiatek kept Raducanu at bay. Raducanu made her last stand at 5-0, grabbing two break points in an attempt to avert the bagel, but Swiatek stayed steely to prevail. Swiatek now leads Raducanu 4-0 in their head-to-head.

"I just try to have the same kind of attitude and same kind of focus no matter what the score is," Swiatek said. "I'm just playing my game. If it's working, why stop?

"I've also seen many matches when someone was back [after] being down like 2-5 or something. You always have to just keep going. It's not over till it's over."

Lucky loser Lys awaits: Swiatek hasn't lost to a player ranked outside the Top 50 since 2023 Wimbledon, when she fell to former World No.3 Elina Svitolina, who was then on the comeback trail after maternity leave.

Swiatek will next face another player ranked outside the Top 50 in the Round of 16: lucky loser Eva Lys of Germany. In a match between two players contesting their first Grand Slam third-round match, Lys beat Jaqueline Cristian of Romania 4-6, 6-3, 6-3 on Saturday.

World No.128 Lys has now become the first lucky loser to reach the Australian Open fourth round since the tournament moved here to Melbourne Park in 1988. She is the first lucky loser into any Grand Slam fourth round since Elina Avanesyan at 2023 Roland Garros.

Lys has now defeated Cristian in all four of their meetings -- and has come back from a set down in every single one of those occasions.

wtatennis.com

That is some score line. I honestly thought it'd be close given their last meeting in Stuttgart. 

Another really great day at the office for Iga. 

Seems to be flowing with confidence at the moment and actually really enjoying her tennis. It's good to see. 

Has a huge chance to make the quarters now.

Jazda!.

Iga Swiatek sets up 3rd round with Emma Raducanu at Aussie Open

MELBOURNE -- Iga Swiatek eased into the third round at the Australian Open after defeating Slovakia's Rebecca Sramkova 6-0, 6-2 in the second round.

Swiatek has now won her last 40 matches in the first two rounds at a Grand Slam. Her opening set over Sramkova is her 24th 6-0 set at a Grand Slam since the start of 2020. Aryna Sabalenka is the next best over that span with nine.


Three questions after another clinical march from the World No.2:

After coming through a physically grueling week at the United Cup, where she led Poland back to the finals with great wins over Karolina Muchova, Katie Boulter and Elena Rybakina, Swiatek has enjoyed a smooth ride so far at Melbourne Park.

She started her week with a 6-3, 6-4 win over doubles No.1 Katerina Siniakova. On Thursday, she needed just an hour to power past Sramkova. In relatively mild and breezy conditions, Swiatek struck 16 winners to 14 unforced errors and did not face a break point. She dominated off the ground, winning 20 of the 26 rallies that lasted five shots or more.

So far, Swiatek has been keeping an efficient stat sheet. She has hit more winners than unforced errors, 33 to 29, and she's winning 81 percent of her first-serve points. That latter stat puts her second among all remaining players, just behind Elena Rybakina and tied with Clara Tauson.

Swiatek will take on 2021 US Open champion Emma Raducanu in the third round. Raducanu came through a tough second-round draw against Amanda Anisimova, coming from a break down in both sets to seal a 6-3, 7-5 win and make the third round at Melbourne Park for the first time.

Anisimova will rue her chances in her first meeting against her friend. The American was two points from a 4-1 lead in the first set before losing five consecutive games. She burst out to a 3-0 lead in the second set but, again, could not protect her advantage.

Raducanu needed a medical timeout in the second set but hopes the discomfort she felt is the natural consequence of playing her first string of matches since the end of last season.

"I think it's almost to be expected when you haven't played a match in so long," Raducanu said, "and then to have two really physical ones, yeah, I think small niggles are going to come up here and there. I'm just hoping that it is that. I was able to push past some pain today, but yeah, I'm going to just try and recover as best as possible over the next day."

Swiatek is undefeated against No.61 Raducanu, winning all three meetings without losing a set. Their last clash came on the clay at Stuttgart last year. Swiatek won 7-6(2), 6-3 in the quarterfinals.


With her win over No.49 Sramkova, Swiatek has now won her last 16 matches against opponents ranked outside the Top 20. While the numbers are stacked in Swiatek's favor, the third round was her bugbear last year. She fell in the third round at two of the four Grand Slams, including at Melbourne Park, where she bowed out to big-hitting Linda Noskova. She also lost in the third round at Wimbledon to Yulia Putintseva.

Swiatek and Raducanu are junior contemporaries who won their first Grand Slams as teenagers. While Swiatek's ascension continued, injuries have hampered Raducanu's follow-up seasons.

"Everybody's story is different, and everybody struggles with different stuff, but it doesn't matter," Swiatek said. "When we're going to be out there on the court, whoever is going to play better will win, and that's it. I'll just focus on tennis.

"For sure we have different stories, but before the match, I'm not going to really think about that. I'll just prepare based on how she plays now and that's it."

Raducanu agreed. The 22-year-old has never been tempted to compare her last few years to Swiatek's.


"Of course I've seen her win a lot, but I also know that we've had very different paths," Raducanu said. "I know that she was playing since a very young age, and my hours in comparison were probably a bit comical when I was 17, 18 playing six hours a week (laughing). I don't think it was the same trajectory."

Swiatek has not lost a set en route to the third round and her progress has a significant impact on her quest to retake the PIF WTA Rankings No.1 from Aryna Sabalenka after Melbourne.

Going into the first Grand Slam of the season, three players had a chance to leave Melbourne Park with the top spot: Sabalenka, Swiatek, and No.3 Coco Gauff. By making the third round, Swiatek has ended Gauff's chances at No.1 and changed the calculation for Sabalenka, who now must make the semifinal for a chance to hold on to the top spot. That line will continue to move if Swiatek continues her progress through the tournament.

"There was a lot of pressure starting the year as No.1, but I think overall last year I didn't think about it this much anyway," Swiatek said. "Also, I realized last year that I don't have 100 percent influence on what happens with my ranking sometimes. So now I just focus on tennis. If I play well, I know I'll be back at No.1. If I don't and Aryna plays better, she'll be No.1.

"I think it's just smarter to focus on tennis, and the ranking will come after that."

wtatennis.com

Really good match from Iga. Seemed even more self assured then in her first match and changing courts as well from John Cain to Rod Laver. 

Granted this opponent wasn't able to make Iga feel any pressure the way Raducanu might. But if Iga serves well and if need be makes it physical she'll definitely have the upper hand. 

But I am expecting it to be close score-wise. 

Jazda Iga, you've got this! let's go for the 2nd week.
 

Iga Swiatek starts Australian Open with a solid opener

 

The courts at Melbourne Park are not always the easiest for Iga Swiatek to navigate.

But when she steps onto them for first-round matches at the Australian Open, she’s tough to stop.

The world No.2 improved to a flawless 7-0 in AO first-round matches, and 23-1 overall at this stage of a Grand Slam tournament, by seeing off the challenge of Katerina Siniakova.

The talented Czech is ranked 50th and is currently the world No.1 doubles player, but Swiatek has spent a cumulative 125 weeks atop the singles rankings, and it showed at John Cain Arena on Monday.

Her 6-3 6-4 win, achieved in a tidy one hour, 21 minutes, saw her finish with more winners than unforced errors, almost 80 per cent of first-serve points won, and not a single double fault.

It was almost as clean as it could get for a tournament opener, a win setting up a second-round clash with Slovak Rebecca Sramkova.

The Pole was told by a reporter that she was the only woman this decade to reach the second round at every Slam she had played.

“Yeah, I know,” she replied, then added with a smile: “I think I only lost once in the first round. It was at Wimbledon in 2019. I wish I didn't play so my stat would be perfect.”

It’s pretty close to perfect – she has now won 21 first-round Grand Slam matches in a row.

“I'm happy. It shows that I'm consistent,” she continued. “I'm just more confident before a Slam, even playing the first match. I know that no matter what's going to happen, I have kind of this stat.

“I should just do what I always do, and it will be good.”

It’s been extremely good for Swiatek at Roland Garros, where she is a four-time champion and boasts an outstanding 35-2 record in Paris.

In Australia, wins have been harder to come by, with the Pole failing to reach the quarterfinals in her past two visits after a semifinal finish in 2022 – her best result Down Under.

It could be a different story at AO 2025 for Swiatek, who arrives in Melbourne with new coach Wim Fissette as well as a dedicated hitting partner in her team, something she did not have here 12 months ago.

Signs have been encouraging so far, with Swiatek winning five of her six matches on Australian hard courts this season. The only loss came in the United Cup final to Coco Gauff who, along with world No.1 Aryna Sabalenka, sits in the opposite half of the draw to Swiatek.

Sabalenka and Gauff are considered by most to be the title favourites, while Swiatek has slipped somewhat under the radar in such discussions. Coincidentally, this was reflected in the order of play, with Sabalenka and Gauff beginning their AO 2025 campaigns at Rod Laver Arena while Swiatek, for the first time in three years, competed at John Cain Arena.

This was by no means an example of Swiatek being slighted. Monday’s order of play was one of the densest in AO first-round history, with superstars Swiatek, Gauff, Naomi Osaka, Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic all in action on Day 2.

Observed Australian champion Sam Stosur on the eve of the tournament: “There's a lot of decisions ahead for schedulers – what court are we gonna put all these guys on and when do we find the spaces?”

Swiatek didn’t mind returning to JCA for the first time since her second-round win over Rebecca Peterson at Australian Open 2022.

In fact, the court assignment brought back great memories.

“Honestly, I love playing here on every stadium. On John Cain I played some amazing matches,” she said.

“I remember with [Anett] Kontaveit, we played fourth round. That was my first chance to go on to the quarters on hard courts. Also some nice tournaments, nice matches.

“I like this court."

ausopen.com

Not a bad start for Iga. Showed some solid hitting. Sramkova could be tricky but if Iga stays focused I see her taking it in 2. 

I think Iga will only get better as the matches goes on. 

Maybe they should put her on John Cain more often flying under the radar could be good and help her relax with all the attention on center.

Iga Swiatek dismisses fitness concerns after physical United Cup effort

SYDNEY -- Iga Swiatek downplayed any concerns about her fitness ahead of the Australian Open.

The World No.2 endured a heavy workload as she helped steer Poland into its second straight United Cup final. Along the way, she notched four wins, which included high-intensity, physical victories over US Open semifinalist Karolina Muchova, Great Britain's Katie Boulter and World No.6 Elena Rybakina.

In the final, Swiatek lost 6-4, 6-4 to No.3 Coco Gauff in another grueling all-court battle. Team USA swept the tie, defeating Poland 2-0 to win its second United Cup title.

"I'm for sure happy, because I played some heavy hitters as well this week and also some girls that played tough," Swiatek said after the match. "I was able to play against both really great tennis.

"For sure today I wasn't able to give 100 percent. Coco also played amazing, and she's for sure improving. But overall I'm really happy with the week. I feel like things I worked on really improved."

Swiatek's efforts required two rare medical timeouts for upper leg issues. The first came in her near-three-hour duel with Katie Boulter in the Sydney quarterfinals. The second came before she served to stay in the match against Gauff.

"The volume at the beginning of the tournament especially has been pretty big," Swiatek said, "but honestly, it's all good."

Setting the disappointment of the result aside, Swiatek reveled in the team environment provided by the United Cup. This year, Poland's squad included her childhood friend, No.128 Maja Chwalinska, who contributed points for Poland in mixed doubles and will play in the qualifying tournament at the Australian Open.

Chwalinska was able to help Swiatek cut through the tension of her pressure-packed matches, playfully holding ice bags on her head and cracking jokes from the bench.

"Today it wasn't my day, for sure," Swiatek said. "I needed the energy and I needed also to get some distance from everything that was happening. For sure, Maja was able to give me that. It was pretty funny. There's a reason why we won all these junior tournaments and Junior Fed Cup [together] and everything. She's pretending that she's not my friend but she is.

"So for sure, not only from Maja, but the whole team, I think the support has been amazing. We respect each other so much that we really have been here together no matter who was playing."

Now Swiatek's attention will turn to Melbourne. She made her first hard-court Grand Slam semifinal at the Australian Open in 2022 but has not progressed past the Round of 16 since. Last year, after going 5-0 at the United Cup, she suffered an early exit to Linda Noskova in the third round.

"This week and Australian Open is a different story," Swiatek said. "So still I'm gonna do everything step by step and continue the work that I have been doing."

wtatennis.com

 Good to have Iga herself put those concerns to rest.

It's heartbreak for Team Poland once more as USA takes the title at United Cup

Always good to see Iga smiling in the post presser despite the emotional heartbreak

It's heartbreak again for Team Poland. Every year they give it their all and keep falling short. It's a little depressing at this point. 

All in all I don't think this was Iga's best match of the week. Serve was lacking and there were quite a few unforced errors( brought on by Coco's athleticism and having to retrieve a lot of extra balls). 

But it's not like Iga didn't have her chances to turn it around (had breaks in both sets). It just wasn't her day.

Perhaps winning with Rybakina the other day took a mental toll, not to mention the physical toll of the last few days has been pretty intense too.  

All that combined caused Iga to regress into the panic mode habit of overhitting the ball (which she really wasn't doing all tournament). 

Maybe the frustration of expecting Coco to play a certain way and not getting that was a bit of a catalyst to Iga not being able to find solutions as well. 

Iga will have to look at this rivalry from a different angle now (Coco has definitely matured and changed and improved her game (it's giving her all the belief and confidence) so Iga will have to adjust her tactics accordingly. 

That's where working with new coach Wim Fissette will come into play. 

The win over Rybakina was without a doubt the most valuable out of this whole tournament. It give her the belief that she can win with big hitters on a fast hard court.

Hopefully she'll be able to call on that bielief at Aussie Open in a weeks time. 

Having said all that I do have to wonder whether participating in this event is truly worth it in the grand scheme of things. 

Iga gets so emotionally invested and puts so much pressure on herself trying to win for her country. 

It's energy that maybe could be put to better use at an individual tournament like Brisbane or Adelaide. 

Sabalenka won Brisbane without having to face any tough opponents. I guess the question becomes is it better preparation to face a few tough opponents and not win vs having an easier draw and actually winning a title before a Grand Slam. I suppose that remains to be seen.    

I'd be lying if I didn't say I'm a little concerned about Iga physically. Having pain in both legs before a Grand Slam is not great. 

Hopefully it's all related to exertion over the past week and nothing more serious (as Iga herself mentioned in the post match interviews). 

Still I'll feel a whole lot better once Maciek Ryszczuk her physio arrives in Australia (he just always knows how to keep Iga in top condition and pain free). 

Regarding the opponents I have to add that unlike their 2021 meeting at the United Cup, this year I found the entire team USA interaction with Poland very disingenuous to put it politely. 

I think Danielle Collins sort of set that tone when she rolled her eyes as she barely shook Iga's hand as the teams were wishing each other good luck. The woman is truly insufferable. 

And if I'm honest even Coco at the end seemed to be shaking team Poland's hand out of politeness more than anything else (didn't stop for more than a second to shake the hand of each team member). It just looked so obligatory and fake.  

I'm not trying to disrespect or take away from her win in anyway she absolutely deserves it. Was the better athlete and player on the day no denying that. 

Just wasn't a fan of the American Team vibes I guess. 

I think maybe Iga felt those vibes too which is why she didn't give Coco a warm handshake at the end of their match either. I suppose emotions were running high on both sides.

Now that Coco has won back to back matches with Iga the American ESPN pundits are going to be insufferable as well. It's going to be a lot of Coco is the best, she's the contender for the Australian Open, she's one of the best athlete right now and so on. 

I get really tired of this narrative (makes me grateful to have other broadcast options).

I realize this next statement will sound completely biased, but I honestly prefer the European media's understated praising of their athletes. Sure we tend to criticize them more, but we also don't go overboard with boasting.

Still immensely proud of Team Poland despite the loss. Hopefully Iga can get a bit of R&R now to rest and rehab those legs before getting back into the grind in a week's time.

Bring on the Aussie Open!

Team Poland takes out Kazakhstan to make back to back United Cup finals!

Iga Swiatek sent Poland soaring into their second straight United Cup final by battling past one of her most challenging rivals in their semifinal tie in Sydney on Saturday.

In a clash between Top 10 players and Grand Slam champions, Swiatek bested Kazakhstan’s Elena Rybakina 7-6(5), 6-4, sealing an insurmountable 2-0 lead for the 2024 runners-up. Hubert Hurkacz had queued Swiatek up by giving Poland the 1-0 lead with a swift victory over Alexander Shevchenko.


"I think that’s the first time I was able to win with Elena on a faster surface, so it means a lot," Swiatek said on court after her win. "I for sure didn’t start well, I felt like I [was] on the hand-brake a bit.

"I wanted to really work and change the momentum, and I’m happy that I kind of did that at the last possible chance in the first set. I kind of told myself that I’m not going to miss anymore, and I’m happy because for sure it was tough. It’s always tough against Elena."

One of the rare players who regularly troubles five-time major champion Swiatek, 2022 Wimbledon champion Rybakina came into Saturday’s match having won four of their six previous meetings. Indeed, Rybakina's deep, imposing hitting in the early stages again troubled Swiatek, who misfired on multiple forehands to cede a 5-3 lead to the Kazakh.

Staring down another deficit against Rybakina, Swiatek clicked into gear, accelerating through rally groundstrokes and breaking back for 5-5 on her fourth break point of that game. Swiatek then had two set points at 6-5, but Rybakina powered through a 13-minute game to hold on and scrap into the tiebreak.

After the first eight points of the breaker went to the returner, Rybakina fired two consecutive backhands long to give Swiatek another pair of set points. Swiatek converted her fourth chance after 72 minutes to narrowly close out the first set.

After missing out on two early break points in the second set, Swiatek took control for good by breaking Rybakina at love for a 4-3 lead. Swiatek had to use exceptional defense to save one break point in the final game, and the former World No.1 held on for the win. Swiatek now holds a 12-1 singles record at United Cup.

In the day’s opening match, Hurkacz continued his short and long-term redemption at the United Cup by dismissing Shevchenko 6-3, 6-2.

After losing both his singles matches in group play to Casper Ruud and Tomas Machac, Hurkacz backed up his quarter-final win over Billy Harris with a 58-minute victory over the Kazakhstani.

Hurkacz last year held two championship points in the tournament final against Alexander Zverev only to see the current World No. 2 rally to a comeback win and then team with Laura Siegemund to beat him and Swiatek in the deciding mixed doubles.

“The last match here gave me a little bit of confidence and I’ve been playing better with every single match,” Hurkacz said.

After struggling against the weight of shot in his defeats to Ruud and Machac, World No. 16 Hurkacz was the one to dictate from the baseline against Shevchenko. He was also dominated on serve, putting 76 per cent of his first deliveries into play, winning 80 per cent of first-serve points and 73 per cent of second-serve points.

Shevchenko played his best tennis early in the second set when he had more success moving Hurkacz out of the centre of the court, but after missing a 30-all opportunity in the fourth game, he made three unforced errors to get broken to love in the following game and never recovered.


Hurkacz now leads Shevchenko 4-0 in their Lexus ATP Head2Head series.

wtatennis.com

Iga winning in straight sets against Rybakina on the fast courts of Australia is the best beginning to 2025 I could have asked for.

Talk about an absolute confidence booster before the start of Austalian Open. 

Really liked Iga's demeaner in this match she stayed calm despite nerves and tension. 

She was mixing up her spins, varying heights on her shots, relying on her amazing defense instead of ball bashing and trying to outhit Rybakina. 

She even varied her position on return.  Nothing but positives to take away from this one. Wim's calming influence is slowly but surely taking effect. 

If Poland ends up playing USA I hope Iga can make it a shorter one against Gauff for the sake of her leg (skipping mixed was definitely wise for the extra rest before tomorrow).

Iga Swiatek secures semis for Team Poland in dramatic 3 set marathon vs Britain at United Cup

 

Iga Swiatek sealed the win for Poland over Great Britain at the United Cup quarterfinals, boosting last year's runner-up into Saturday's final four with a 6-7(4) 6-1, 6-4 win over Katie Boulter. On the heels of Hubert Hurkacz's 7-6(3), 7-5 opening win over Billy Harris, Swiatek's victory secured Poland an insurmountable 2-0 lead.


"This match was crazy," Swiatek said. "So many changes of momentum. I thought I had it under control in the first set but for sure I got tight and I didn't work on it. I didn't want to repeat the mistake in the third."


Poland will face Kazakhstan for a spot in its second straight United Cup final. Last year, Poland held championship points before losing to Germany.

In the first career meeting between Swiatek and Boulter, No.24 Boulter stood toe-to-toe with Swiatek from the baseline. She matched the former No.1 in pace and power in the first set. The United Cup has consistently brought out the best from Boulter, who scored the first Top 5 win of her career last year against Jessica Pegula in group play.

But the stakes were higher on Thursday night at Ken Rosewall Arena, where Great Britain came in as a heavy underdog against the experienced Polish side, which advanced to its third straight United Cup semifinal.

Swiatek earned an early 3-0 lead in the first set by fighting off four break points in the longest game of the match to consolidate her early break. She extended the lead to 4-1 but Boulter's ability to trouble Swiatek from the baseline with her flat hitting laid the foundation for the Briton's comeback.

Boulter's backhand was the shot that ultimately turned the tables. While Swiatek struggled to find her baseline consistency, Boulter came back to force the tiebreak. There, Boulter struck back-to-back backhand winners to take the 74-minute set.

The physical effort took its toll on Boulter. Swiatek responded immediately by securing a double-break lead, which she parlayed into a 6-1 second set. After striking 17 winners in the first set, Swiatek held Boulter to just four in the second.

But after failing to see a break point in the second set, Boulter broke at love to earn the early edge at 2-1 in the deciding set. Swiatek took an off-court medical timeout and returned with strapping on her upper right leg. On the resumption, Swiatek won eight consecutive points to put the set back in the balance.

The final set came down to the wire with both women finding her best when it mattered. Serving down 4-3, Boulter saved two break points with gritty baseline play, besting the Pole in two extended rallies. Swiatek responded by painting the sideline to wipe out a break-point chance for Boulter and move ahead 5-4. It would be Swiatek's final service game, as the WTA's best returner broke Boulter at love to take the 2-hour and 57-minute win.

"I tried to keep pushing knowing that I had to keep up the quality," Swiatek said, "because with quality I wouldn't have to play these longer rallies if I'm more precise. But for sure it's harder to be precise under so much pressure.

"But I made it today. For sure it's a step forward. In some moments I knew I could be more brave and in the end I was able to so I was happy."

Earlier, Hurkacz clawed past Billy Harris 7-6(3), 7-5 to give Poland the early 1-0 lead. Hurkacz walked into Ken Rosewall Arena having lost both of his singles matches in Group B action. But the United Cup veteran, who has competed in the mixed-teams event in all three editions, was cool under pressure against tournament newcomer Harris.

“Definitely super pleased with myself,” Hurkacz said. “Today was a really difficult battle with Billy. He was playing some really great tennis and definitely really happy to get through this one.”

The Pole saved all three break points he faced according to Infosys ATP Stats and relied on his dominant first delivery, winning 88 per cent of his first-serve points.

Harris, the No. 125 player in the PIF ATP Rankings, served well himself, only losing serve once in the one-hour, 45-minute match. But in the critical moments, he was not as solid.

The Briton missed a backhand long to lose the first set and missed another one in the net at 5-5 in the second set to lose serve for the only time in the match.

“This win is so crucial for me to get more confidence and get another match in,” Hurkacz said.

It was the 150th tour-level hard-court win of Hurkacz’s career and more importantly for Team Poland, he is now 5-0 against players outside the world’s Top 30 at the United Cup. He fell to World No. 6 Casper Ruud and World No. 25 Tomas Machac in group play.

wtatennis.com

Have to say I wasn't quite sure what to expect from this first meeting with Katie Boulter. But I was a little surprised it turned into quite a physical battle. 

Iga should have won it in 2, Katie did steal the break back down 1-4 with clear winners. But those minibreaks lost in the first set breaker could have clinched it.

The medical time out for Iga and the strapping on the upper thigh is a little concerning right before AO (and of course having to face Rybakina next). 

Hopefully it's just muscle pain, and nothing that can't be cured with some physical therapy and some rest. 

Four pain killers is quite a lot though. Hopefully her movement isn't too hindered on Saturday.

Good to see Poland finally pull it together as team with Hubi finally winning his first match of the season, and Jan and Maja winning mixed doubles without Iga or Hubi.

Hopefully they can show that same support against Kazakhstan because Iga is gonna need it. 

Team Poland defeat Czechia to reach United Cup quarterfinals once more

Iga Swiatek and Hubert Hurkacz clinched their country's place atop Group B on Wednesday, defeating the Czech Republic's Karolina Muchova and Tomas Machac 7-6(3), 6-3 to seal the critical tie 2-1 and book Poland into its third United Cup quarterfinals.

Poland will face Great Britain for a spot in the semifinals on Thursday.

"Honestly I was sure they were going to play amazing tennis because they have always great teams in doubles and mixed doubles. They are kind of raised that way," Swiatek said. "But I knew that we have the game to win it. For sure we were leading from the beginning.

"In the first set it got tight at the end, but I kind of felt that we were leading anyway so in the tie-break we just used that. In the end it seemed that we had everything under control."

Both countries knew that they would move into the last eight of the mixed-teams competition with a win in the tie. But it was last year's runners-up who found a way through the tie to top their group and advance.

Hurkacz delivered his duo's 12th ace of the match to emerge victorious after one hour and 25 minutes. The Poles broke serve five times from 11 chances against the Czechs.

"Iga is just so solid and you really can count on her shots," Hurkacz said.

The Czechs can still earn a spot in the quarterfinals by finishing as the best-placed second-placed country in Sydney. Machac, Muchova and the rest of their team will need to follow Wednesday evening's Australia-Great Britain tie closely.

Earlier, World No.2 Swiatek notched a hard-fought 6-3, 6-4 victory over Muchova to deliver her 10th career United Cup singles victory.

“Honestly, I love playing against Karolina because she always brings precision and intensity and a little bit of a different game than most of the girls,” Swiatek said. “So for sure it’s a challenge. I’m happy that even though I lost my serve when I thought it’s going to be easier, I’m happy that I got my intensity even higher in the last two games to break again.”

Swiatek leveled the Group B tie at one win apiece, after Machac had earlier moved the Czech Republic to the brink of the United Cup quarterfinals with a tense win against Hurkacz.

“Obviously I knew what’s at stake,” Swiatek said, “so in tough moments I just tried to loosen up my hand and force myself to not change any movements because of any thoughts. That’s the most important thing in tennis, to try and use your intuition as much as possible and I think I did that in the last rallies for sure.”

The tie will now come down to the mixed doubles, with the winner automatically grabbing one of the precious quarterfinal spots in the knockout stages.

World No.22 Muchova had troubled Swiatek in the past, garnering a win in their first meeting at 2019 Prague and pushing the Pole to three sets in their other two meetings, most notably a closely-contested Roland Garros final in 2023.

Indeed, a deep service return by Muchova gave the Czech the first break of the day and a 2-1 lead. But that initial stumble jolted Swiatek’s heavy groundstrokes into top form and she racked up four games in a row to lead 5-2.

Serving at 5-3, Swiatek swatted away two break points with backhand winners and grabbed the one-set lead. Both players were 6-for-9 at the net in the opening frame, but Swiatek was a perfect 2-for-2 on break points.

In the second set, Muchova clawed back from a break down to level proceedings at 4-4, but Swiatek found a pair of blistering backhands to reclaim the break and serve for the match. The former World No.1 needed to save one more break point, but wrapped up the win with a winning volley after 1 hour and 56 minutes of play.

In the day’s first match, Hurkacz won six more total points in a one-hour, 55-minute clash, but Machac persevered to emerge victorious 7-5, 3-6, 6-4 and give the Czech Republic the 1-0 lead.

“It was a difficult match from the beginning. I was a little bit tired from the match with Casper [Ruud],” Machac said. “It was a great match and Hubi is an unbelievable player. It’s always a pleasure to share the court with him. In the end, I was just fighting. I’m really happy with my mental [game] in the end.”

In Hurkacz and Machac’s first Lexus ATP Head2Head meeting in last year’s Marseille quarterfinals, Hurkacz did not face a break point in a straight-sets victory.

Machac, who lost a nearly three-hour battle in his opening match of the season against Norway’s Casper Ruud, received leg rubs from coach and captain Daniel Vacek in the Team Zone during changeovers. He struggled to deal with his opponent’s second serve, as Hurkacz won a whopping 70 per cent of points behind his second delivery according to Infosys ATP Stats.

But seemingly out of the blue, Machac earned match point at 5-4 on the Pole’s serve. While Hurkacz saved a break point at 3-4 in the decider with a big backhand up the line, he could not stave off trouble again, launching a forehand long.

Machac roared in celebration and enjoyed the moment with Vacek just outside the Team Zone.

“In the end I was trying to be more aggressive, to push myself to the court,” Machac said. “It was great.”

wtatennis.com


Hubi is yet to win in singles since his return, but at least he showed up a bit for Iga in the doubles. Seems like that new racket is still gonna take him some time to get used to.


Hopefully the win with Iga yesterday propels him to do better against Great Britain in singles tomorrow.


Iga was outstanding against Muchova (sure Muchova may not have served at her usual level had more double faults).


But Muchova is the type of player who doesn't necessarily need her serve to win a match.


It was quite a battle and Iga had to work hard to return a lot of extra shots. If she can show this level in Melbourne in a few weeks I will feel like I have died and gone to tennis fan's heaven.