Iga Swiatek’s season has been a revelation in more ways than one. With eight titles, a 37-match winning streak and an advantage of more than 6,000-points at the top of the rankings, the Pole’s dominance has been extraordinary. But beyond these startling numbers, Swiatek’s success has brought to light qualities that perhaps even she didn’t know she possessed.
Last week’s title win in San Diego was a case in point. Swiatek’s 6-3, 3-6, 6-0 victory over the resurgent Donna Vekic marked the successful culmination of a punishing fortnight. A week after the world No 1 was defeated by Barbora Krejcikova in Ostrava, a loss that snapped a proud run of 10 consecutive winning finals dating back three years, normal service was resumed.
Well, almost. Each of Swiatek’s 10 previous titles had been clinched in straight sets. San Diego marked her first triumph after being taken the distance. In itself, that might seem insignificant. Yet the meticulous nature of Swiatek’s approach to the game is such that the devil is always in the detail. For a player who always considers the variables, navigating a deciding set for the first time represented another tick in the box, another challenge surmounted.
There was no shortage of obstacles in San Diego, either. The transition from an indoor hard court in the north-east corner of the Czech Republic to an outdoor hard court in southern California involved plenty of adjustments. A tight turnaround, different time zones, contrasting conditions – and all while dealing with the lingering after-effects of a cold, and the physical fallout from two long matches on the final weekend in Ostrava.
So it was notable that, when Swiatek was asked what gave her greatest pride about her week’s work, she highlighted her ability to come through back-to-back three-setters against Jessica Pegula and Vekic.
“Coming in here I wasn’t feeling completely sure that I was going to be able to perform my best after playing such an intense tournament in Ostrava, and being jet lagged and having a cold a little bit,” said Swiatek.
“So I’m pretty happy that I’m still able to work through all these things and put my best tennis out there.
“Adjusting to the conditions is something that I’m proud of, and also for sure [in the final] and maybe [in the semi-final] against Jessie, changing the rhythm little bit so I could change something up and actually use the experience and win those next sets after losing a set.”
In March, when Ashleigh Barty announced her retirement, no one could have imagined Swiatek would seize control of the women’s game so fully that, seven months later, even the loss of a set would merit discussion and analysis. A season that has included wins at Roland Garros and Flushing Meadows has made it easy to forget, but Swiatek is still only 21 years old, a player learning her craft. That is why small steps matter. The accumulation of experience, be it bouncing back from a rare defeat or successfully absorbing pressure over three sets in a final, is central to Swiatek’s development.
One might say the same of any player, of course. But with Swiatek it feels especially important. The Pole likes to deal in the known. She can be prone to self-doubt, but once she knows she can do something, the lessons learned tend to stick.
Before her defeat to Krejcikova in Ostrava, Swiatek had only once previously gone to three sets in a final. That was in the first of her career, against Polona Hercog in Lugano in 2019, a match she also lost. Now that she has finally won a trophy after playing a deciding set in a championship match, she will only be more dangerous. The emphatic manner in which she achieved that milestone against Vekic, winning all but five of the 29 points played in the third set, will surely only magnify her confidence.
Any notion that Swiatek might be vulnerable at the sharp end of a three-set final has been laid to rest. With the WTA Finals in Fort Worth looming, her rivals have one less straw to clutch at.