Not this time.
Iga Swiatek wouldn’t let last 12 months’s spiral repeat.
As an alternative, she’s back on course.
Back on course as a late-tournament staple, which she had turn out to be accustomed to as she won five Grand Slam titles.
Back on course to defending her status because the No. 1 women’s player on the planet. Back on course to upholding her own standards.
Poland’s Swiatek toppled Russia’s Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (No. 27 on the planet) in straight sets, 6-4, 6-2, within the third round of the U.S. Open Saturday night at Arthur Ashe Stadium. And it only took Swiatek 1:32 to do it.
Swiatek, still just 23 years old despite her already-illustrious résumé, has been on the incorrect end of a few of the sport’s biggest upsets recently.
And away from the French Open, where she’s won 4 of her five Grand Slams (including three straight and 4 of the tournament’s last five editions), she has largely not yet found the identical success.
Earlier this month, Swiatek disappointingly only won bronze on the Paris Olympics.
Before that, she was stunningly upset by unseeded Yulia Putintseva within the third round at Wimbledon in July. It was eerily just like last 12 months, when Swiatek lost to unseeded Alize Cornet, also within the third round of Wimbledon.
Then the next month last 12 months, Swiatek was eliminated from the 2023 U.S. Open — a 12 months after winning the tournament in 2022 — by No. 20 Jelena Ostapenko.
So, Saturday’s match presented an almost similar situation because the one Swiatek found herself in last 12 months — facing a top-30 opponent the opening weekend of the U.S. Open after an embarrassing result at Wimbledon.
This time, nevertheless, Swiatek bounced back.
She is going to next face No. 16 Liudmila Samsonova within the fourth round.
Swiatek improved to 2-0 against the 33-year-old Pavlyuchenkova. Along with Saturday’s win, Swiatek beat Pavlyuchenkova within the Round of 64 of the 2023 Italian Open.
Swiatek broke Pavlyuchenkova to begin the match and quickly jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the primary set. Pavlyuchenkova pulled inside 4-5, but Swiatek subsequently held serve within the tenth game and secured the opening set.
Pavlyuchenkova had a likelihood to capture momentum within the second set but squandered it.
After winning the opening game, she was up 30-15 within the second game as Swiatek seemed to be briefly tiring.
But Swiatek got here back to win the sport, after which broke Pavlyuchenkova within the third game — after forcing Pavlyuchenkova into an error amid a highlight-reel rally at the web between the 2 to open the sport — to go up 2-1.
Swiatek didn’t look back, and cruised the remainder of the way in which.
Swiatek lost her place as world No. 1 because of this after 75 weeks on top of the game following last 12 months’s U.S Open loss.
She has since regained that stature, and the girl who briefly usurped her — No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka — still looms on the opposite side of the bracket.
Swiatek owns an 8-4 record against Sabalenka, including her win within the 2022 U.S. Open semifinals.
Ahead of this 12 months’s U.S. Open, Swiatek spoke openly about letting pressure affect her performance.
It’s an area she said she has worked on, and she or he claimed she feels freed from previous “baggage” that kept her from acting at her best.
To this point, so good.
Not this time.
Iga Swiatek wouldn’t let last 12 months’s spiral repeat.
As an alternative, she’s back on course.
Back on course as a late-tournament staple, which she had turn out to be accustomed to as she won five Grand Slam titles.
Back on course to defending her status because the No. 1 women’s player on the planet. Back on course to upholding her own standards.
Poland’s Swiatek toppled Russia’s Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (No. 27 on the planet) in straight sets, 6-4, 6-2, within the third round of the U.S. Open Saturday night at Arthur Ashe Stadium. And it only took Swiatek 1:32 to do it.
Swiatek, still just 23 years old despite her already-illustrious résumé, has been on the incorrect end of a few of the sport’s biggest upsets recently.
And away from the French Open, where she’s won 4 of her five Grand Slams (including three straight and 4 of the tournament’s last five editions), she has largely not yet found the identical success.
Earlier this month, Swiatek disappointingly only won bronze on the Paris Olympics.
Before that, she was stunningly upset by unseeded Yulia Putintseva within the third round at Wimbledon in July. It was eerily just like last 12 months, when Swiatek lost to unseeded Alize Cornet, also within the third round of Wimbledon.
Then the next month last 12 months, Swiatek was eliminated from the 2023 U.S. Open — a 12 months after winning the tournament in 2022 — by No. 20 Jelena Ostapenko.
So, Saturday’s match presented an almost similar situation because the one Swiatek found herself in last 12 months — facing a top-30 opponent the opening weekend of the U.S. Open after an embarrassing result at Wimbledon.
This time, nevertheless, Swiatek bounced back.
She is going to next face No. 16 Liudmila Samsonova within the fourth round.
Swiatek improved to 2-0 against the 33-year-old Pavlyuchenkova. Along with Saturday’s win, Swiatek beat Pavlyuchenkova within the Round of 64 of the 2023 Italian Open.
Swiatek broke Pavlyuchenkova to begin the match and quickly jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the primary set. Pavlyuchenkova pulled inside 4-5, but Swiatek subsequently held serve within the tenth game and secured the opening set.
Pavlyuchenkova had a likelihood to capture momentum within the second set but squandered it.
After winning the opening game, she was up 30-15 within the second game as Swiatek seemed to be briefly tiring.
But Swiatek got here back to win the sport, after which broke Pavlyuchenkova within the third game — after forcing Pavlyuchenkova into an error amid a highlight-reel rally at the web between the 2 to open the sport — to go up 2-1.
Swiatek didn’t look back, and cruised the remainder of the way in which.
Swiatek lost her place as world No. 1 because of this after 75 weeks on top of the game following last 12 months’s U.S Open loss.
She has since regained that stature, and the girl who briefly usurped her — No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka — still looms on the opposite side of the bracket.
Swiatek owns an 8-4 record against Sabalenka, including her win within the 2022 U.S. Open semifinals.
Ahead of this 12 months’s U.S. Open, Swiatek spoke openly about letting pressure affect her performance.
It’s an area she said she has worked on, and she or he claimed she feels freed from previous “baggage” that kept her from acting at her best.
To this point, so good.
