Iga Swiatek off and running at U.S. Open with confident first round win

NEW YORK -- Iga Swiatek and Wang Xiyu traded holds across the first seven games of the second set before the seven-time Grand Slam champion made her move. A perfectly placed forehand in the corner gave Swiatek the break she needed, and she served out a 6-2, 6-3 win after 1 hour and 28 minutes on Monday night.

It's the kind of performance that has come to be expected of Swiatek. Straightforward, and perhaps to the dismay of fans at Louis Armstrong stadium, lacking drama. The same can be said for her head-to-head with Wang, which she leads 3-0. She has won all three of their meetings in straight sets.

Swiatek has now won 28 consecutive opening matches at majors, with her last -- and only -- defeat in a Grand Slam first round coming to Viktorija Golubic at Wimbledon 2019. She is 30-1 overall, with 28 wins in straight sets.

"I don't treat these matches like they should be easy. I don't take them for granted," Swiatek said. "I'm always ready from the beginning (of the tournament) to put forward the intensity and I'm ready with the level."

While it was a forehand winner that sealed an opening hold for Swiatek, it was her work off the other wing that positioned her to take the first set. It's the shot that carried her to a break for 3-1 and the ensuing 4-1 hold.

To Wang's credit, she kept fighting, even from 0-40 down in her next service game. While Swiatek dominated behind her backhand, Wang's forehand kept her in the match. She saved two of the three break points with forehand winners and the other with a stellar volley.Things flipped in the final two games of the first. Swiatek suddenly found her forehand, while Wang's control of the shot vanished. Swiatek struck another forehand winner on game point to hold for 5-2, then hit two in the final game. She then watched as Wang's forehand sailed long to hand her the break and the set.

Swiatek's brilliance extended into the second. A perfectly executed forehand pass gave her a chance to break midway through the set, and while she didn't convert then, she earned the break a few games later. In total, she forced nine break points -- converting three -- while facing none on her own serve. She also won 80% of her first-serve points.

Swiatek will face World No. 449 Nadia Podoroska (former No. 36) next. Swiatek won her only previous meeting with the Argentine in the 2020 Roland Garros semifinals en route to her first Grand Slam title.

A win would give Swiatek her 110th Grand Slam main-draw victory since the start of 2020. She has already claimed the most of any player, with Aryna Sabalenka (106) the only other player with 100 or more such wins over that span.

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Iga played with confidence and clarity today. 

Knew what she wanted to do and just went for it with no hesitation. 

Her whole game looked just free flowing, something we've rarely been able to see this year. 

I would say the coaching partnership with Roig is a slam dunk. 

It took time to see all the work and instruction bear fruit, but it's really evident in the way she's playing now. 

Things have definitely clicked into place and it is an absolute joy to witness. 

I can honestly say that out of everyone who looked quite nervous in their first rounds today, Iga looked most at ease. 

Came out focused and in the zone and just stayed in it throughout.

On to the next one.

Jazda!

25 - Only three players this century have managed 25 career wins at the US Open in fewer matches than Iga Swiatek (31) – Serena Williams, Venus Williams (28 each) and Kim Clijsters (30). Merchant?

28 - Iga Swiatek (US 2019-US 2026) is the first player to record 28+ consecutive opening match wins at Grand Slam events since Serena Williams (31, RG 2012-WM 2021). Routine.

Iga Swiatek falls short of U.S. Open semis as Anisimova avenges Wimbledon title demolition

 

NEW YORK -- After her fourth-round win over Beatriz Haddad Maia on Labor Day, Amanda Anisimova said in her on-court interview that she had hoped for a bit more love from the New York crowd.

She got it in spades on Wednesday. With the fans firmly in her corner in Arthur Ashe Stadium, the American knocked off six-time Grand Slam champion Iga Swiatek 6-4, 6-3 to reach her first US Open semifinal.

Playing for the first time since Swiatek's 6-0, 6-0 trouncing in the Wimbledon final, they traded breaks to start the match and held to 4-4 after Swiatek forced deuce on an incredible 17-shot rally in the eighth game and took the next two points. Anisimova held in her next game and, on her second set point, a Swiatek forehand sailed long to give the New Jersey native her second break and the set.

The Wimbledon champion jumped out to a quick start in the second set, breaking and consolidating for a 2-0 lead, but with the crowd rallying her on — chants of "We love you Amanda" were consistent all afternoon — the eighth seed took the next three games and the lead. Swiatek held to even it, but that would be her final game of the afternoon.

Anisimova held for 4-3 with the assistance of a net cord, and then broke for 5-3 on a Swiatek double fault. Serving for a spot in the semis, with three match points to play with, Anisimova lost the next two points -- including one on a double fault -- before finishing off her opponent with another ball that hit the net and died before Swiatek could push it into play.

Anisimova finished with 23 winners to Swiatek's 13 and converted four of nine break points. The World No. 2 had just four break point opportunities and converted two of them.

"Today was definitely different than any other match here, or that I've played ever, because of the circumstances," Anisimova said after the match. "But yeah, I think that I was really trying to go in with the right mindset, especially the last 24 hours, really preparing myself more mentally than physically for today. I'm really pleased with the way I was able to go into it and perform."

Despite the lopsided win at Wimbledon, Swiatek knew her opponent would come ready to play and would be anything but an easy out.

"I think everybody knows how Amanda can play," the Polish 24-year-old said. "Yeah, she didn't play well in Wimbledon, but it's not like she's always going to do the same mistakes or feel the same. I know that she's a good player. She can play great tennis. So for me, I was ready for a tough match.

"It's not a surprise. I practice with her. I know how she can play. It was totally different. She moved better, she played better. Yeah, everything was different."

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Well she fell short again, but it was a wonderful run especially given the fact that she later revealed on Instagram she's been having a foot issue the entire tournament (I'm sure all those mixed doubles matches with Casper didn't help).

I saw a photo on social media that surfaced during the tournament of a practice session with Iga's foot being heavily bandaged and her wincing in pain. She kept it hush hush so I doubt too many people knew till her post after the loss today. 

She didn't even say anything about not being able to practice much, nor about the foot itself in her post match press conferences.  

So given all that it's quite amazing she made it as far as she did. 

A foot issue would definitely make it difficult to serve which explains the fluctuations of it match to match (and especially today). 

Nevertheless she soldiered on. 

As great champions always do. 

Sad for the loss but happy she'll be able to rest and rehab that foot properly now before heading off to Asia (I'm kind of hoping she skips Seoul and starts off in Beijing).

Fingers crossed the foot doesn't become a bigger issue for the remainder of this season.

Thank you for an amazing summer of tennis Iga, the Wimbledon win will remain one of the sweetest memories of this year.

See you in the fall champ.

Jazda!

Iga Swiatek back in U.S. Open quarterfinals

Seconds after wrapping up a 6-3, 6-1 win over Ekaterina Alexandrova in the US Open fourth round, Iga Swiatek was on her phone.

Not to check for the latest Taylor Swift updates, as she had been a few days previously, but to get some more hitting time after a one-sided rout that had flashed by in just 64 minutes.

"I asked [my coach] to book 10 minutes of practice court, if it's possible," No. 2 seed Swiatek admitted in her on-court interview with a laugh.

The matchup had, on paper, been a potentially tricky one. Coming into it, Swiatek led the pair's head-to-head 4-2 -- but on outdoor hard courts, Alexandrova held a 2-1 advantage with wins at the Gippsland Trophy 2021 and Miami 2024. Moreover, the 30-year-old has reached a career high of No. 12 after making the Monterrey final last week, and conceded just 10 games over three matches to get to the last 16.

Swiatek has been enjoying a summer surge, claiming the Wimbledon and Cincinnati titles this year -- she has now won 18 of her past 19 matches -- but the first week in New York had not been smooth sailing for the Pole. In the second round, she was stretched to three sets by Suzan Lamens and in the third had to overturn a 5-1 first-set deficit to beat No. 29 seed Anna Kalinskaya. 

Alexandrova has enjoyed a career-best Grand Slam season, making the last 16 at each of the last three majors, but has yet to advance to the quarterfinal stage at this level. Swiatek, too, has put together her most consistent year at the Grand Slams to date, having now reached at least the quarterfinals at each major. The 24-year-old is the youngest player to achieve that feat since an 18-year-old Maria Sharapova in 2005.

Overall, Swiatek has now reached 13 Grand Slam quarterfinals. Among active players, only Venus Williams (39), Victoria Azarenka (18) and Aryna Sabalenka (14) have made more; Swiatek has tied the total of Elina Svitolina and the freshly-retired Petra Kvitova. 

She will next face No. 8 seed Amanda Anisimova, who raced past No. 18 seed Beatriz Haddad Maia 6-0, 6-3 in just 1 hour and 15 minutes. 

It will be a rematch of July's Wimbledon final, in which Swiatek whitewashed Anisimova 6-0, 6-0 to claim her sixth Grand Slam title.

'Intensity and focus': Unlike her previous two matches, Swiatek barely put a foot wrong as she dismantled Alexandrova with 21 winners, including seven aces, to just 13 unforced errors. It wasn't surprising that, afterwards, she said she was happiest with the "intensity and focus" she had managed to maintain.

"I felt like I'm really in my bubble, in the zone," she continued. "Sometimes I was making risky decisions, and I think I forced the ball to go in."

Swiatek's redirected backhand down the line was responsible for a slew of highlights, and she dropped serve just once -- in the second game of the match, thanks to a pair of double faults.

Alexandrova, on the other hand, was unable to deliver the blistering power game that has seen her notch 38 match wins this year. Despite holding her own through the first six games, facing a break point at 3-3 in the first set Alexandrova tapped a sitter forehand into the net with the court wide open. Two games later, she conceded the first set with consecutive double faults and another netted drop shot. She won just one more game in the match, double faulting again to go down 5-1 in the second set.

In the final game, Swiatek withstood a handful of fiery returns from Alexandrova to save three break points and convert her first match point with another backhand winner down the line.

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Best match Iga has played all tournament everything worked as she said she was in the zone or bubble as she called it. 

When she's in full flow like this it is an absolute joy to witness. 

Going from one of her worst matches in the last round to one of her best in a span of 2 days is what makes Iga such a great champion. 

I think the day conditions vs night played a big part in it as well. She just really doesn't like playing at night and always plays better early in day.

Iga Swiatek survives a rollercoster at night to reach U.S. Open round of 16

 

Iga Swiatek overcame a slow start to defeat No. 29 seed Anna Kalinskaya 7-6 (2), 6-4 in 1 hour and 56 minutes Saturday night at Arthur Ashe Stadium, advancing to the Round of 16 at the US Open for the fifth straight year.

Swiatek trailed 5-1 and faced four set points in the opening set before mounting a comeback, winning six of the next seven games and dominating the tiebreak. She carried that momentum into the second set to close out the match in straight sets.

How did she do it? Even the former World No. 1 herself couldn’t explain it.

“Oh, my God, I don’t know,” Swiatek said after the match. “Honestly, Anna was playing great. She was getting all these risky balls in like she once did against me in Dubai. So, I just wanted to make less mistakes, because I felt like I was playing well.

“I felt like I had nothing to lose because I was losing pretty badly. So, at the end (of the first set) I just went for it, because what more can I do?"

The victory marks Swiatek’s 23rd career main-draw win at the US Open. She only has more at Roland Garros (40) in a single WTA-level tournament.

Here are some takeaways following Swiatek’s remarkable third-round comeback:

Serving struggles: After jumping out to a big lead in the first set, it was ultimately Kalinskaya’s serve that unraveled her chances against Swiatek.

Kalinskaya committed 11 double faults on the night, many at crucial moments. She served for the first set three times, but double faults in each of those games led to breaks. By the time the players reached the tiebreak, she had already tallied seven.

Swiatek wasn’t flawless on serve either, landing just over 43% of first serves. Still, she won 76% of those points and converted 50% on her second serve -- 14 percentage points higher than Kalinskaya. Swiatek faced only two break points in the second set, maintaining control as Kalinskaya’s serve continued to falter.

Swiatek’s tiebreak breakthrough: Tiebreaks have been a rare weak spot for Swiatek this season.

Entering Saturday’s match, she was 4-7 in tiebreaks at the WTA level in 2025 and 0-2 in tiebreaks at Grand Slams. Her 7-2 win in the opening-set tiebreak marked her first since defeating Ekaterina Alexandrova in a second-set tiebreak in the Bad Homburg quarterfinals in June.

Fittingly, Alexandrova awaits in the next round.

Looking ahead: Swiatek will face Alexandrova in the fourth round Monday.

She holds a 5-2 head-to-head advantage at the WTA level. While Swiatek won their most recent meeting in Bad Homburg, Alexandrova claimed their last hard-court clash in Miami last year.

A win Monday would send Swiatek to her third career US Open quarterfinal.

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I'm just going to chulk this performance especially serve wise to Iga playing her first night match of the tournament. 

Which she's generally not a fan of anywhere, but especially here where it's extra loud and rowdy due to people walking around being a little tipsy etc. 

I think that might have messed up her concentration quite a bit. 

Still have no idea how she won that first set (got a bit lucky with Kalinskaya squandering 3 chances to serve it out) and was also helped out by so many double faults. 

But I give her huge credit for not blowing a gasket when it comes to her service percentage. It was probably the worst I've seen her serve on a hard court in years. 

Thankfully she didn't seem to notice as she pointed out in her post match interview and just went about her business anyway.

She will definitely need to find her first serve against Alexandrova because she will not be gifting Iga chances the way Kalinskaya was today. 

Thankfully Iga will be playing in the afternoon so that should help her serve better. 

And having faced a flat hitter in Kalinskaya she'll at least be well prepared for the same with Alexandrova. 

3 - Iga Swiatek has reached all four Women’s Singles rounds of 16 at Grand Slams in a season for the third time, becoming the first player to achieve the feat in three seasons since Agnieszka Radwanska in 2016. Reference.

20 - Two players (Iga Swiatek and Aryna Sabalenka) have claimed 20 Women’s Singles match wins at Grand Slams in a season for the first time since 2016 (Angelique Kerber and Serena Williams). Sabatek.

20 - Since 2000, only three players have reached 20 Women’s Singles rounds of 16 in fewer Grand Slam main draws than Iga Swiatek (27) – Venus Williams (23), Martina Hingis (25) and Serena Williams (26). Company.

Iga Swiatek through to 3rd round at U.S. Open

 

No. 2 seed Iga Swiatek survived a stern test from Suzan Lamens in the second round of the US Open, but eventually pulled through 6-1, 4-6, 6-4 in 2 hours and 6 minutes to extend her winning streak to seven matches.

After a one-sided opening set, Swiatek twice led by a break in the second, but was unable to put away a valiant Lamens as the Dutchwoman settled into the contest -- resulting in Swiatek's first dropped set since her fourth-round loss in Montreal to Clara Tauson. 

In the decider, she also had to hold off a late charge from 4-1 down by Lamens. However, it wasn't enough to prevent Swiatek from notching her 16th win in her past 17 matches, a stretch that includes the Wimbledon and Cincinnati titles this summer.

The Pole will next face No. 29 seed Anna Kalinskaya, who defeated Yulia Putintseva 6-1, 7-5 to reach the US Open third round for a second straight year. Swiatek and Kalinskaya have split two previous meetings, with Kalinskaya winning 6-4, 6-4 in the 2024 Dubai semifinals and Swiatek avenging that loss 6-3, 6-4 in the Cincinnati quarterfinals two weeks ago.

How did Lamens manage to push Swiatek?

The late-blooming Lamens has little experience at the very top of the game. This year has seen her play each of the Grand Slam main draws for the first time at the age of 26, and her matchup with Swiatek was just the third time she had faced a Top 10 opponent in her career. But there have been signs that she has the game to compete at this level. Last April, she notched her first Top 10 win over Jelena Ostapenko in Billie Jean King Cup Group III action. In October, she captured her first Hologic WTA Tour title in Osaka as a qualifier. In the past 12 months, she's risen from No. 121 to No. 66 in the PIF WTA Rankings.

Though over-matched in the first set, Lamens was able to bring her best weaponry to the court in the second: a heavy topspin forehand which she could direct to every corner for winners, a sneaky drop shot and a fine backhand lob. The latter was responsible for the best shot of the match -- and one with which she broke Swiatek back for 2-2 in the second set.

By now, Lamens had warmed to her task and become accustomed to Swiatek's weight of shot, drawing the six-time major champion into several excellent extended rallies. Down a break again at 4-3, Lamens lost one of the longest, a 22-stroke lungbuster -- but the pressure she had started to exert was evident as Swiatek coughed up two double faults to lose her break lead again. Two games later, Swiatek delivered another error-strewn service game to send the match into a decider.

How did Swiatek get back on track?

"The third set is a reset," Swiatek said in her on-court interview. "You gotta start from the beginning and play a little bit more precise."

That's exactly what she did. Having committed 12 unforced errors in the second set, she reduced that number to seven in the third. And she began to punish Lamens relentlessly for her vulnerability on serve. Four of Lamens' eight double faults came in the third set, including twice to go down break point. Swiatek converted both of those by unleashing on a second-serve return, and leapt out to a quick 4-1 lead.

Lamens battled to retrieve one of the breaks, but Swiatek maintained her focus this time -- and came up with a superb hot shot of her own, a laser backhand winner into the corner off a Lamens smash. She converted her third match point with her seventh ace of the day.

"I know that I kind of let her in after the first set, and she used her chances and she immediately knew what to do with that," Swiatek said. "So for sure, she deserves the games that she won. I wouldn't say surprised. But yeah, I think she got her level up a bit in terms of not making so many mistakes, as she did in the first set."

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Iga definitely lost her concentration mid way through that match but got it back when it mattered. 

Kalinskya could be tricky in night conditions (and it'll be Iga's first night match too). 

23/23 - Iga Swiatek is the first player in the Open Era to reach the Third Round at all Women’s Singles Grand Slam events for the first six years in a single decade (23/23 in 2020s). Law.


23 - Iga Swiatek is the fourth player in the Open Era to reach the Third Round in 23+ consecutive Women’s Singles Grand Slam events after Martina Navratilova, Conchita Martinez and Arantxa Sanchez Vicario. Habit.

Iga Swiatek cruises through first round at U.S. Open

No. 2 seed Iga Swiatek continued her 2025 resurgence by cruising through her US Open first round 6-1, 6-2 over Emiliana Arango in exactly an hour.

Swiatek snapped a 13-month title drought in July by capturing her first Wimbledon title -- her sixth Grand Slam crown in total -- and backed that up by lifting the Cincinnati trophy for the first time two weeks ago. Having fallen to No. 8 in the PIF WTA Rankings in June, she's already returned to No. 2 this week. The 2022 champion at Flushing Meadows, a second title here this fortnight would make Swiatek the first player to win both Wimbledon and the US Open since Serena Williams in 2012 -- and could potentially mean she reclaims the World No. 1 ranking from Aryna Sabalenka

Swiatek will next face No. 66-ranked Suzan Lamens of the Netherlands, who defeated 18-year-old wild card Valerie Glozman 6-4, 6-2. Lamens, who claimed her first WTA title last October in Osaka, has played the main draws of all four majors for the first time this year, making the second round of the Australian Open, Wimbledon and now the US Open.


Here are the key numbers from Swiatek's victory:

65: Swiatek has now won 65 consecutive opening matches at tour level (including the United Cup and the WTA Finals), breaking Monica Seles's Open Era record of 64 consecutive opening victories between Washington 1990 and Oakland 1996. Swiatek's last opening loss was at the 2021 WTA Finals Guadalajara to Maria Sakkari ; her last opening loss in a knockout tournament was to Ons Jabeur at Cincinnati 2021.


26: Swiatek improved to 26-1 overall in Grand Slam first-round matches; her only such loss came at Wimbledon 2019 to Viktorija Golubic. 

She is the first player since Serena Williams to win at least 26 of her first 27 Grand Slam openers; Williams won her first 46 in a row from her 1998 Australian Open debut until her streak was snapped by Virginie Razzano at Roland Garros 2012.

24: Swiatek has won 24 consecutive Grand Slam first-round matches -- the first player to do so since fellow Pole Agnieszka Radwanska, who won 24 straight between Roland Garros 2009 and the Australian Open 2015 inclusive. Radwanska's streak was snapped by Annika Beck at Roland Garros 2015.

8: This was the first meeting between Swiatek and Arango at pro level, but eight years ago they met for the only time at junior level in the second round of Roland Garros 2017. Swiatek won 6-2, 6-3 en route to the quarterfinals, where she fell to Marta Paigina.

26: Swiatek fired 25 winners to Arango's five, and committed 14 unforced errors to the Colombian's nine.

11: Swiatek won 11 out of 13 net points, including a superb backhand stab volley at 3-2, 30-30.

0: Swiatek did not face a break point in the match, and dropped just 10 points on serve in total.

0-0: Swiatek's second-round meeting with Lamens will be the first time the two have played each other.

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Iga Swiatek and Casper Ruud U.S. Open mixed doubles finalists

Back before the US Open mixed doubles tournament became a singles-dominant event, Sara Errani
 and Andrea Vavassori took the title a year ago.

This year, with so many top singles players in the draw, the Italian team was something of an afterthought. And why not?

In Thursday night’s final, it was the unseeded wild-card team of Errani and Vavassori up against the No. 3 seeds Iga Swiatek and Casper Ruud, ranked No.2 and No. 12 in singles.

For the record, Errani came into the match ranked No. 291 singles among Hologic WTA Tour players and Vavassori was the ATP Tour’s No. 306, having split two matches this year and compiling a career record of 10-13 for his career.

No contest, right?

Wrong. The doubles players, playing the game to which they’re accustomed, prevailed 6-3, 5-7 [10-6] in a match-tiebreak.

“I guess doubles players are better tactically than singles players,” Swiatek said afterward.

The 38-year-old Errani and Vavassori defended their title in front of an enthusiastic, sold-out Arthur Ashe Stadium and collected a cool $1 million, which they will split.

“Thanks to my partner,” Vavassori told the crowd. “Thanks for the energy, it’s unbelievable for me to play with you. We’ve shown today that doubles is a great product.”

With the mixed title at Roland Garros this spring, they have now won three of the past five Grand Slam mixed titles.

Both sides converted three break points, but Errani and Vavassori were more efficient, stroking 25 winners, against only 12 unforced errors.

“I loved every minute of it,” ESPN analyst Mary Joe Fernandez said. “These two, Vavassori and Errani, they know each other’s style, they know each other so well. I think in a year we’ll see better meshing from the singles players.”

The final came only after both semifinals were decided earlier Wednesday. Here’s how the path to the championship match unfolded.

Semifinal No. 1

No. 3 Iga Swiatek and Casper Ruud def. No. 1 Jessica Pegula and Jack Draper 3-5, 5-3 [10-8]

After 12 straight mixed doubles matches that ended in straight sets, this one went the distance. But when Swiatek double-faulted, she and Ruud found themselves down 8-4 in the match-tiebreak. Somehow, they found a way to win the last six points. The final stroke was a winner from Swiatek who called it the “most important volley of my life.”

Semifinal No. 2

Sara Errani and Andrea Vavassori def. Danielle Collins and Christian Harrison 4-2, 4-2

The winners took 18 of their 21 first-serve points and five of 11 second-serve points. “Goose bumps,” Errani said afterward. Vavassori and Errani were far more efficient, hitting 20 winners and only six unforced errors.

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What a crazy couple of days for Iga Swiatek, she went from winning Cincinnati on Monday straight to New York city that same night where 16 hours later on Tuesday afternoon at 12pm she was back on court in mixed doubles.

Where she was playing with Casper Ruud for the very first time and they were very close to beating the seasoned doubles pair of Vavassori and Errani. 

Despite having one walkover in Cincy Iga essentially played 4 more matches in a different city and state. Not only that but she played two matches in one day on back to back days. 

Her Cincy opponent Poalini withdrew from the event to get some rest while Iga chose to honor her commitments and made it all the way to the final. Respect.

I think she did it partially to  thank Casper for the lovely support he showed her on social media when she was having a really rough time (after the Bad Homburg warm up event where she lost to Pegula). 

Which of course was her first final since last year's Roland Garros also her last title.  

He was the only one from both tours that give a public show of support and encouragement. 

After that final on the grass the title drought ended and she won Wimbledon. 

So I think this was her way of paying him back for his kindness and keeping her word playing together at this event. 

The mutual respect between them is turning into a lovely friendship a rare thing on the tennis tour where aside from their close knit team singles players are on their own.

I can see why Iga likes Casper (platonically of course).  

Being Norwegian he's very even tempered, polite, has a great work ethic and doesn't cause drama. He also doesn't have an ego and a certain flamboyancy like so many on tour. 

His game may not be the most exciting but it is very solid and gives plenty of players on tour trouble when he's in his groove. 

I hope playing with Iga will help him gain the confidence to turn his season around the way his encouragement did for Iga. 

As for Iga herself what better training than a match setting like this, I saw her hit so many fantastic volley's over the past few days. 

Whatever else I'd say she got some hugely invaluable experience out of it. And she did seem be be having some genuine fun. I've missed seeing Iga having fun on court. So thank you Casper.

Thanks to you Iga is now a finalist in all disciplines of tennis. (singles, doubles and mixed) :)

As for the revamped Mixed Doubles Slam event itself I guess it'll remain to be seen whether it'll be successful long term, or if the novelty will wear off. 

There are parts of it I like (but I think it'll always feel strange to call it Slam). 

The fast 4 scoring actually works in this case, and making it the standard 6 games for the final makes sense as well. 

The timing of the event will definitely need to be workshopped more because there's no way players will play the final of Cincinnati and than turn around and play in New York the following day not feasible long term. 

The paring will also have to be decided upon differently not sure I like the idea  of wildcards as entries (at least not so many). 

And to make it fair I think there may have to be a more even ratio of doubles vs singles players. 

All in all an interesting idea with some great potential, but as I said remains to be seen if it'll stick.

Iga Swiatek from Cincy Open champ to NYC mixed doubles winner

Watching some of the great singles players in mixed doubles ahead of the US Open main singles draws was an unprecedented treat.

Perhaps Wednesday’s best point came when Emma Raducanu somehow tracked down a thunderous overhead from Jack Draper -- and Carlos Alcaraz eventually finished with an improbable around-the-net winner.

But more than anything, the results of the first day before big, supportive crowds in Arthur Ashe and Louis Armstrong Stadiums underlined just how special those “doubles specialists” are.

Sara Errani and Andrea Vavassori look like the favorites heading into Thursday night’s semifinals and finals. Maybe it’s because they are the most fluent team, the only pure doubles specialists in the field -- as well as the defending US Open mixed champions and winners of the title earlier this year at Roland Garros.

“Tactics in doubles are very important,” Vavassori said. “There are many very strong players here, but we often play together, we also talk off the court, and this is important.

“We also play for all the doubles players who cannot compete at the mixed doubles tournament here. We try to do our best.”

In 12 matches, four went to a second-set tiebreak -- but not one went to a third set.

The Thursday semifinals and finals are scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. ET.

Round of 16

No. 1 Jessica Pegula and Jack Draper def. Carlos Alcaraz and Emma Raducanu 4-2, 4-2

The skinny: The 50-minute match was decided by superior net play, from both Draper and Pegula -- who has played the doubles quarterfinals at all four majors. They won 24 of 34 service points and were not broken. They converted their fifth match point on Pegula’s serve with a winner from Draper.

No. 3 Iga Swiatek and Casper Ruud def. Madison Keys and Frances Tiafoe, 4-1, 4-2

The skinny: Swiatek looked fresh, considering she stepped off the court in Cincinnati 16 hours earlier. She and Ruud needed only 39 minutes to dispatch the Americans, who had five double faults and were broken twice.

Mirra Andreeva and Daniil Medvedev def. Olga Danilovic and Novak Djokovic, 4-2, 5-3

The skinny: Danilovic and Djokovic were up 3-1 in the second set before the winners came back to take the last four games. The winners saved two of three break points and hit a combined 10 winners, against only six unforced errors.

Caty McNally and Lorenzo Musetti def. Naomi Osaka
 and Gael Monfils 5-3, 4-2

The skinny: There were some awkward moments -- Musetti, aggressively running down a lob, almost knocked McNally off her feet -- but the makeshift team prevailed comfortably. When Paolini withdrew, McNally stepped in to become Musetti’s partner.

Quarterfinals

Pegula and Draper def. Andreeva and Medvedev, 4-1, 4-1

The skinny: This was the most one-sided of Wednesday’s matches, with the winners taking 36 of 62 points. They forged 10 break-point opportunities and converted three.

No. 3 Swiatek and Ruud def. McNally and Musetti, 4-1, 4-2

The skinny: This one required only 46 minutes, while the winners saved both break opportunities against them. “Even though we haven’t played together, we had good communication on the court,” Swiatek said in her on-court interview.

Wednesday's semifinals: Pegula and Draper vs. Swiatek and Ruud

wtatennis.com

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.