Iga Świątek’s start in Cincinnati was not optimistic, but the second match allowed us to regain confidence that the top seed is back to her best. The meeting with Warwara Graczewa was unexpectedly nerve-racking, almost at Iga Świątek’s request. Marta Kostyuk was much better, and the Ukrainian could not find a way to surprise the favorite.
However, in the battle for the semi-finals, the Pole was supposed to face Mira Andreeva, whom she had never played against before. This clash is interesting because the 17-year-old is considered to be the one who will compete with Świątek for the top spot in the world rankings in the coming years. Even before her 18th birthday, the Russian reached the semi-finals of Roland Garros, eliminating Aryna Sabalenka.
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It is supposed to be the biggest competitor to Iga Świątek.
If the young tennis experts are to be believed, the match between Iga Swiatek and Mira Andreeva in Cincinnati will be the first of many that will see them face each other at major tournaments over the next few years. The 17-year-old finally got a chance to fight the best tennis player in the world. And she had nothing to lose.
Although the Pole herself may not have thought about it at all, this match was also a good opportunity to show her younger opponent that it will not be easy for her to reach the top. Iga Świątek has repeatedly said in interviews that she treated the performance in Cincinnati almost as a “training” where she wants to practice certain aspects of her game, but she has done well so far. However, let us remember that the main goal is not to succeed in Ohio, but to reach the top of the rankings at the US Open.
Early in the match, the story of the match with Marty Kostyuk was repeated. Although the Ukrainian then broke the pole at the first opportunity, Mira Andreeva did the same today just a moment later. The younger tennis player played brilliantly in defense and made almost no mistakes in attack. Świątek’s comeback failed, although the bright sun in Cincinnati may have had some influence on that.
Kostyuk could not follow up the blow and did not cause any problems for Andreeva. Thanks to this, after just 18 minutes, the opponent of the world’s number one racket was leading 3:1, and was close to causing an upset in the first set. However, this was just the beginning of the meeting.
In order for Iga Świątek not to put pressure on her opponent even for a moment, a real catastrophe would have to happen. Individual breaks do not pose a threat to Świątek, who managed to get out of trouble several times and managed to reverse the result of the set. Already at 2:3, the Pole had two chances to break the deficit, but this time she could not take advantage of them.
The 17-year-old played fantastically.
Although each subsequent service game caused problems for the younger tennis player, in the end it brought the score to 3:5 from Svetek’s point of view. This meant that the favorite could not afford any more mistakes, because that would mean losing the first game.
Mirra Andreyeva’s serve at 4:5 led to Iga Świątek’s aggressive behavior, which increased the pressure on her opponent, but she… did not seem to feel the slightest tension. When she had to defend break points, she responded with aces. She scored as many as six in the first game, which allowed her to win the set 6:4. Thus, the Pole found herself in big trouble and had to quickly improve her game in order not to be eliminated from the tournament in Cincinnati.
At the start of the second set, Iga Świątek needed an immediate breakthrough to finally gain confidence and start chasing losses. And finally it came at the first possible opportunity! The Pole broke Andreeva, taking advantage of her somewhat uncertain forehand and gaining a valuable advantage at the start of the second game. Now it was time for her to follow suit.
The long-awaited answer from Iga Świątek
And she did it. This time it was she who defended the break advantage and had the opportunity to increase it even further. She played the subsequent exchanges a little more comfortably, because she was in the lead, and her opponent was “against the wall”. The key was to watch your serve, which could have made up for the losses.
In the first set, Mira Andreeva seemed to have no nerves as she took the lead. In the second, the roles were reversed and fortunately, Iga Swiatek was flawless on her serve! Once again, one break at the start was decisive, thanks to which the Polish and Russian players were ready to play in the third set. They benefited from a slightly longer break due to the heat.
After the break, the tennis players returned to the court and Mira Andreeva served first, so she could count on more rest in case of a lost serve. However, this aspect of the 17-year-old’s game was at a very high level, so the world’s No. 24 tennis player can feel very confident.
In the third set, both women were more careful with their serve from the start. What’s important: both served aces, but Andreeva had a huge advantage in this aspect, which she used to get out of the most serious difficulties.
At the decisive moment, Iga Swiatek was in the lead! The Pole held her serve, then broke Andreeva at 5-5, who helplessly threw her racket. After a tense moment, the Pole held her serve, and qualified for the semi-finals! There, she can play the championship with Aryna Sabalenka if she defeats Lyudmila Samsonova.
I came to your aid – Mira Andrejewa 4:6, 6:3, 7:5
source:Onet Sports Review
Date of creation: August 17, 2024 at 19:49
Journalist at Przeglad Sportówny Unie
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