NEW YORK: Iga Swiatek’s first evening under the bright lights of Arthur Ashe Stadium nearly turned into a nightmare before the world number two summoned her championship resolve to beat Anna Kalinskaya 7-6(2) 6-4 at the US Open on Saturday.
The Wimbledon winner found herself staring down the barrel at 5-1 in the opening set of their third-round clash as Russian 29th seed Kalinskaya threatened to repeat her stunning upset victory over Swiatek in Dubai last year.
“Well, for sure it wasn’t the easy match, especially after the beginning,” a relieved Swiatek said.
“I’m happy that I came back and started playing better, because for sure I did some mistakes in the beginning of the first set that I wish didn’t happen.”
The Pole was far from her sharpest in the scrappy, error-strewn contest — nine breaks and 67 unforced errors by both players combined painted the picture of a match won through sheer bloody-mindedness rather than sublime shot-making.
Yet Swiatek steadied herself at the key moments, serving up a masterclass in mental fortitude as the 2022 US Open champion clawed her way back into contention.
She saved four set points in the first, eventually dominating the tiebreak 7-2, and broke late in the second to notch her 20th major match win of the season, drawing level with defending champion and world number one Aryna Sabalenka.
The key to her remarkable turnaround? Keeping her cool when panic might have been the natural response.
“At 5-1 or something, it’s easy to panic, and I didn’t. So that’s good,” Swiatek said.
The six-times Grand Slam champion revealed she made crucial tactical adjustments mid-match.
“I focused on, like, two technical things that I figured out might help me,” she said.
“When the ball was easier, I played too long sometimes. I wanted to keep the margins, I guess, to not make unforced errors.”
The victory propels Swiatek into the last 16 for the fifth year in succession in New York, where she will face 13th seed Ekaterina Alexandrova.
