As Iga Swiatek entered Arthur Ashe Stadium to the strains of the theme from Pulp Fiction, the mind inevitably drifted back to her only previous meeting with Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova. That came last year, when the 33-year-old Russian, working her way back from long-term injury, was subjected to a 6-0, 6-0 whitewash in Rome. In the circumstances, the choice of music felt ominous.
The tennis equivalent of a hitwoman, Swiatek routinely metes out drubbings of the kind Pavlyuchenkova experienced at the Foro Italico. And when the former French Open finalist instantly fell a break behind, it was hard not to fear for her again. That feeling deepened in the fourth game, when Swiatek stabbed back a return on the stretch that, spinning violently, cleared the net before bouncing back into the Polish world No 1’s side of the court, leaving the dismayed Pavlyuchenkova flailing at air.
Despite that stroke of good fortune, however – “I would be giving too much credit to myself if I would say I had control over it,” Swiatek later admitted – the second meeting between the pair was, as the 6-4, 6-2 scoreline would suggest, markedly different to the first. Not least because if anyone was dodging bullets, it was Swiatek, who narrowly avoided being poleaxed at the net for the second time in a month.
In an echo of the controversial moment at the Paris Olympics when Danielle Collins drove a passing shot straight into Swiatek’s midriff, the top seed was forced into evasive action after chasing down a drop volley at the start of the second set. As the ball popped up invitingly, Pavluchenkova stepped in and slammed it straight at the startled Pole from point-blank range, before turning on her heel without a hint of apology. Swiatek managed to get her racket in the way, but she was evidently unimpressed, shooting Pavlyuchenkova a look that could have melted glaciers.
It proved to be a turning point. Up to that moment, the only difference between the players was a single break of serve. Pavlyuchenkova had left no stone unturned in her quest for an effective strategy, throwing herself into one of the most dangerous backhands in the game, nailing big serves and forehands, reminding all present that she has been a quarter-finalist at all four majors in doubles, as well as singles, with some fine touches at the net. But when Swiatek unleashed an unanswerable forehand on the next point, the impassioned cry of “Jazda!” that accompanied it – “Let’s go!” in Polish – spoke of a renewed determination. In short space, she reeled off 10 points in a row to establish what would prove an unassailable lead. All that remained was for Pavlyuchenkova to offer what looked like a belated apology at the net afterwards.
“For sure I was happy with the performance, because I felt like she’s a player who can play a really powerful first shot,” said Swiatek, without a trace of irony. “So I wanted to be ready for that, and I was. I’m happy that I was in control of the match.”
So she should be. Through to the second week for the fourth year in a row and yet to drop a set, Swiatek has improved steadily since her error-strewn opening-round win over Kamilla Rakhimova. The assured nature of her victory over the 25th-seeded Pavlyuchenkova – a former junior winner at Flushing Meadows enjoying a renascent summer after defeating Qinwen Zheng, the Olympic champion, en route to the Cincinnati quarter-finals – bodes well for her challenge for a second title in three years, which will continue on Monday against another Russian, Liudmila Samsonova. Swiatek has won all three of their previous meetings.
If further encouragement were needed for the world No 1, it came in the form of a pre-match visit from Serena Williams, the 23-time grand slam champion and another player who knew what it meant to be a stone-cold killer on court.
“She’s really nice and really positive,” said Swiatek. “I’m happy that she’s following tennis, and my games. She told me that she’s cheering for me, so it’s always nice to hear that from somebody like Serena.”
Swiatek enjoys listening to heavy rock as she makes her way into battle. While she may not be updating her pre-match playlist to include the surf-rock vibes of the Pulp Fiction soundtrack any time soon, she could do worse than take her cue from a line in the movie: “I wanna dance, I wanna win. I want that trophy, so dance good.”
So far, she is.