French Open 2022: Iga Swiatek can do it differently
Iga Swiatek is in the round of 16 at the French Open without losing a set. In the game against Danka Kovinic , the Pole also had to show her ability to take things for the first time in the tournament.
by Nikolaus Fink
last edit:
May 29, 2022, 06:35 am
After the first two rounds at this year's French Open, Iga Swiatek 's opponents almost made you anxious. Her performances against Lesia Tsurenko and Alison Riske were so overwhelming, in which the Pole only gave up four games and was on the pitch for less than two hours in total.
A similar rebuff threatened Danka Kovinic on Saturday, who was 3-0 down after just a few minutes on the Philippe-Chatrier court. But the 27-year-old showed a more than courageous performance and was able to leave the largest pitch of the facility with her head held high despite the 3:6 and 5:7 defeat.
The right match at the right time?
For Swiatek, who lost a 4:1 lead in the second round and even served against losing the set at 4:5, the match against Kovinic came at exactly the right time. The 20-year-old played anything but her best tennis, but was able to prove her fighting spirit before the start of the hot tournament phase and show that she can do it differently in addition to impressive demonstrations of power.
"Of course I dominated my first two games here. Today I fought harder, I needed more time to come back," Swiatek said after the match. The world number one has a total of 31 wins in a row, and she suffered her last defeat in mid-February in Dubai.
Swiatek still undefeated on clay 2022
In the clay court season so far, Swiatek has only lost a set in twelve games against Liudmila Samsonova in the semifinals in Stuttgart. No question: Something extraordinary would have to happen for the Pole to lose at the French Open. Swiatek's previous appearances on Asche do not allow any other conclusion.
In the round of 16 on Monday, Swiatek meets Qinwen Zheng, who benefited from her opponent Alize Cornet's injury-related retirement in the third round. In any case, the 19-year-old is not lacking in motivation: "Actually, I prepared for this game because I really want to play against them. I'm looking forward to this match."
Here the individual tableau in Roland Garros
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