Rusty Iga Swiatek digs deep to start WTA Final defence on winning note
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Iga Swiatek returning to Barbora Krejcikova during their WTA Finals match in Riyadh on Nov. 3.
PHOTO: EPA-EFE
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RIYADH – Iga Swiatek looked rusty on her return after two months out, as the world No. 2 rallied from a set and two service breaks down for a 4-6, 7-5, 6-2 win over Barbora Krejcikova and kick-start her WTA Finals title defence in Riyadh on Nov 3.
Poland’s Swiatek lost in the US Open quarter-finals in September and was leapfrogged in the world rankings by Aryna Sabalenka, after opting to skip the WTA Tour’s Asian swing due to fatigue.
“At the beginning I felt a bit rusty but I am happy I found a way to play a bit more solid. I didn’t feel great at the start,” said Swiatek.
“I just tried to do my usual stuff, control the ball a bit more because it was flying from my racket.
“I knew I had that game in me. I just needed to find it.”
The 23-year-old, who is looking to reclaim top spot in the Saudi Arabian capital, dropped serve early and was unable to gain a foothold as Wimbledon champion Krejcikova ran away with the first set in their Orange Group match.
Krejcikova broke twice in the second set after two double faults by an increasingly off-colour Swiatek, as fans at the King Saud University Indoor Arena sensed a big upset and looked to lift the French Open champion.
Swiatek came out swinging from 3-0 down and moved ahead for the first time with a thumping backhand winner, before levelling the match at one set apiece.
She took a 5-0 lead in the decider as Krejcikova struggled with a lower back issue and withstood a late charge to close out victory.
With Sabalenka defeating Zheng Qinwen 6-3, 6-4 on Nov 2, Swiatek will need to retain the trophy after winning at least two round-robin matches to have any chance of overtaking the Belarusian and finishing as year-end world No. 1.
Australian and US Open champion Sabalenka packed far too much power for China’s Zheng at crucial points in their fourth meeting of 2024 to stay perfect.
“She’s such a great player. We always have great battles,” Sabalenka said of the Olympic champion after the rematch of their Melbourne and Wuhan title clashes. “She plays aggressive tennis.
“She forced me to step in and go for it.”
“That’s why I bring my best tennis and I’m super happy with the first win,” Sabalenka added about potentially winning the title.
She had lost in the final when it was held in Fort Worth, Texas in 2022.
“It would mean everything to me,” she added.
“It’s one of my dreams. I’ve really worked hard in the last few years.
“I really hope I’ll be able to hold this beautiful trophy one day.”
Roland Garros and Wimbledon runner-up Jasmine Paolini then beat 2022 All England Club champion Elena Rybakina 7-6 (7-5), 6-4 in the second Purple Group match.
Meanwhile, Germany’s Alexander Zverev won the Paris Masters on Nov 3 by defeating home hope Ugo Humbert 6-2, 6-2.
It was a dominant display by the new world No. 2.
Zverev, 27, now boasts seven ATP 1000-level career titles, following two wins in Rome and Madrid, as well as victories in Montreal and Cincinnati.
It was a happy return to Paris for Zverev, after he lost the French Open final in five sets to Carlos Alcaraz in June.
Four years ago, he lost the 2020 Paris Masters title match to Daniil Medvedev.
His victory in Nov 2’s semi-final meant the German will overtake Spain’s Alcaraz in the new updated rankings.
Zverev will next play the ATP Finals in Turin from Nov 10-17, when he will seek to emulate his past successes in 2018 and 2021 at the Tour’s season-ending showpiece. AFP, REUTERS
