As one might expect from a player who so frequently talks of doing things step by step, Iga Swiatek doesn’t like to get ahead of herself.
The Polish world No 1’s draw, a near replica of the one she was dealt at the Australian Open, was an obvious early talking point at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, with Linda Noskova, Jelena Ostapenko and Elena Rybakina all potentially blocking her path to a projected final against Aryna Sabalenka. Typically, though, Swiatek steadfastly refused to look beyond her opener against Danielle Collins – and no wonder, given how close the combative American came to defeating her in the second round at Melbourne Park.
It is no secret that Swiatek can be vulnerable to a big shot-maker capable of attacking her second serve and rushing her off the ground, and that is most certainly a category into which Collins falls, as she demonstrated over the course of a highly competitive opening seven games. But neither is it news that, having established a lead, Swiatek rarely relinquishes it: unbeaten on the 65 previous occasions she had won the opening set at this level, the 22-year-old broke for the first time in the eighth game and never looked back, rattling off nine straight games to seal a 6-3, 6-0 victory.
“For sure I’m happy that I started this tournament well, because first rounds aren’t easy and especially against Danielle, she’s really hitting the ball hard and pretty unpredictable,” said Swiatek. “I’m happy that I kept my focus and stuck with my game, no matter what Danielle was doing on the other side of the net.”
Call it another triumph of process over prognostication, a victory for staying in the moment rather than worrying about what lies ahead. Swiatek would not have it any other way. This was her 27th win in 29 matches dating back to last October, but she will not be counting. The focus now switches to Noskova, the 29th-ranked Czech who handed her a shock defeat at the Australian Open. Thoughts of revenge over the 19-year-old, who saw off Italy’s Camila Giorgi 6-3, 7-5, will be as far from her mind as dreams of another title in the California desert, to go with the one she won two years ago.
“I’m trying to set my goals for more technical stuff, like working on my serve and actually being more comfortable at the net,” said Swiatek, who won 71% of her first serve points against Collins.
“It’s not tournament-related, it’s more process-related. That’s also kind of how Daria [Abramowicz, her sports psychologist] pushed me in that direction, so I think these goals are healthier.”
Results elsewhere offered further evidence of the merits of that measured approach. Overnight, the complexion of Swiatek’s tournament was transformed. Ostapenko, who has won all four of her previous meetings with the Pole, was stopped in her tracks by Angelique Kerber, who claimed her most notable result since returning from an 18-month maternity absence with a 5-7, 6-3, 6-3 victory over the Latvian 10th seed. Rybakina, meanwhile, was forced to abandon her title defence without striking a ball after once again falling victim to gastrointestinal problems. If Swiatek makes it through the next round, nobody will be making comparisons with the Australian Open.
The turning point against Collins came in the seventh game, where the 56th-ranked American laid the foundations for two break points with a thumping drive volley and a crisp forehand pass. Perhaps conscious that she might be playing her final match in the Coachella Valley after announcing that she will retire at the end of this season, the 30-year-old had been battering her returns and compensating for her inability to land a first serve by maintaining immaculate depth and pace in the baseline exchanges.
A break at that stage could have made life complicated for Swiatek, but she staved off the danger and went on to hold with an ace. She would not lose another game, Collins’s errors mounting rapidly as she struggled to match aggression with consistency, hitting seven double faults and winning just half of her first serve points. An initially uncomfortable contest for Swiatek ended in a procession.
“I think most of the players would tell you that they don’t feel comfortable most of the time,” said Swiatek, who was forced to recover from 4-1 down in the deciding set when she met Collins at Melbourne Park two months ago. “If they have five tournaments during the year where they feel great, that’s a lot. So you just have to kind of don’t panic and take it step by step, because I already had plenty of tournaments where I didn’t play well during first matches, and then I was able to change my game and adjust a little bit more so I could win titles.
“This gave me a little bit more perspective and it showed me that I shouldn’t judge too early my game, even though I may not play so well or feel comfortable. And for sure this kind of approach helps to find these solutions.”
Now recovered from last month’s demanding Middle East swing, where she won a third straight title in Doha before running out of steam against Anna Kalinskaya in the Dubai semi-finals, Swiatek will seek more solutions against Noskova on Sunday.