When Iga Swiatek is running, and she catches it, she will bend down, a little bit, and then she will make an attempt to kiss it in the lines. Sometimes, she will be patient, but when she sees that she can attack it, and knock it on the lines.
She beat the No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka 6-3, 6-2, as she knew that if she could blast her forehand and her backhand, she was comfortable. Her first serve were close on the lines, and also, she mixed it up. Swiatek has had a very interesting year, when she was beating everyone, but when she was mentally down, and she became pretty frustrated. However, in Cancun, she totally locked in.
However, on Monday, she has to face against Jessica Pegula, who easily beat Coco Gauff 6-2, 6-1. The last time in Montreal in the semis, she beat Swiatek. The American is playing much better, as the same time in 2022 at the WTA Final, she lost all three matches. Incredibly, this week, she actually won three matches, punching past set after set.
Swiatek knows that she has to play point after point.
“Jessie (Pegula) is a great player, and she fully deserves to be in the final of any tournament,” Swiatek said. “I know it’s not going to be easy. There’s a lot to think about. I’m just going to focus on myself tomorrow. She’s really solid and can handle everything mentally. I’ll try to do my best and give 100%. That’s all I can do.”
Pegula has won two 1000 big titles, in Guadalajara, and Montreal. Plus, two weeks ago, she won Seoul. As she says, she is purchasing power.
“I managed to get my act together at the end of the year,” Pegula said. “I’ve done a good job of resetting coming here. It’s not fun leaving (at the 2022 WTA Finals in Fort Worth) 0-6. I’m glad I’ve turned the tables. I found a way to make it work. I’m feeling confident going into the finals.”
She has to be, as Swiatek will try to mover her forehand, and jump on the second serve. Pegula has really improved going down the lines, and she is also when she is on the net.
Swiatek is ranked No. 2, but if she beats Pegula, she will become No.1 again. However, the American will not fold, early, but in the third set, it will be very tight. This time, Pegula will hit some amazing forehands down the line, and she will win it 7-5, 6-3, 6-4.
NOTES
Here he was again, as Novak Djokovic won another ATP 1000, when he beat Grigor Dimitrov 6-4, 6-3 in Paris. That is now he has won 40 ATP 1000s. Talk about a record. He backhand is nearly perfect, crosscourt, down the line, in the middle, flat and spin. Last week he won it against some very good players, but he was comfortable to handle it. He did, and now he will go to the ATP Finals in Turin, Italy.
He is No. 1, and when it finishes, maybe can catch Carlos Alcaraz, but he is way ahead. The Spaniard has to win all five matches, and Djokovic has to win none. That is almost impossible, but really, it is more important who can actually win the tournament. Or to play each other, then that will be a fascinating match. Later this week, we can talk about the other six players who will play, such as Daniil Medvedev, Jannik Sinner, Andrey Rublev and more.