In his first official match since falling in the quarterfinals of the US Open in September, Iga Swiatek It took him a set and a half to regain the rhythm of the high competition, return to his repertoire of lethal blows and defeat the Czech Barbora Krejcikova by 4-6, 7-5 and 6-2 in the debut of both at the WTA finals in Riyadh.
The first set that Swiatek lost with ease and the second in which he came back from two break downs gave way to the third set of absolute superiority, while his rival collapsed after glimpses of victory.
The victory at the moment equals the Pole with the Belarusian Aryna Sabalenka, who also made a successful debut on Saturday and whose number one of the year 2024 is played in Arabia, currently held by the one from Minsk.
After a change of coach that led him to put himself in the hands of the Belgian Wim Fissette, Swiatek gave the sensation that he was still in the transition period and was unable to establish the foundation for the clash or counter the bold play of the Czech, who had fresher ideas, from the start.
Krejcikova, ranked thirteenth, broke her opponent’s serve in the first game of each set. Swiatek, the best returner on the circuit, couldn’t capitalize on that shot and at 2-3 he wasted three breaking balls to level the contest. In that set he did nothing but save one set point.
In the second, after two breaks against him, Swiatek regained one of them and made a good par to stay on the court. This was the turning point of the game. Krejcikova, winner of only one title this year, but at Wimbledon, lost at least twice against the best version of the Roland Garros champion until then. By taking the heat, the Pole regained his favorite status.
The Czech woman traded comfort for anxiety; the Polish, irregularity for stability. Number one in the world until two weeks ago, Swiatek had a seven game streak that put him at a comfortable 5-0 point heading into the third. His opponent was lost between double faults, rushed returns and back discomfort. He made it 5-1, even 5-2 in a bad Pole service game, but he broke back nicely in the next and closed out the win with an impeccable series of crossed backhands that saw him subdue the Czech.
The Americans Coco Gauff and Jessica Pegula They will play other matches in the same group in the afternoon session.
Source: La Verdad
I’m Robert Maynard, and I am a passionate journalist with experience in sports writing. For the last few years, I have been writing for Today Times Live. My main focus has been on sports-related stories and features. With my strong background in journalism and extensive knowledge of the industry, I am able to provide readers with well-crafted pieces that are both informative and engaging.
