Swiatek overcomes Krejcikova at WTA Finals to earn first win in two ...

2024 WTA Finals • 3 hrs ago

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia -- Down a set and two service breaks in the second, No.2 seed Iga Swiatek rallied to stun No.8 Barbora Krejcikova 4-6, 7-5, 6-2 on Sunday at the WTA Finals Riyadh presented by PIF.

The unlikely victory kept alive Swiatek’s flickering hopes of reclaiming the No.1 ranking from Aryna Sabalenka. 

The first step was nearly a staggering misstep, as Swiatek, who hadn’t played a match in two months and arrived here with a new coach, at times looked flustered. It wasn’t until she was down 3-0 in the second set that she began to look like a five-time Grand Slam singles champion.

“Even though I played a lot of those [practice] matches,” Swiatek said afterward. “I kind of forgot for a while how it is to feel all those things, a bit different stress and emotions. For sure, I needed some time to adapt. The most important thing was that even though it happened, I managed to fight through that. And was patient enough to wait to get better.”

In a season marred by injury, Krejcikova had played only 29 matches coming into these WTA Finals. But seven of them, all victories, happened at Wimbledon and, based on new rules, she qualified for her second year-end tournament in singles.

WTA Finals Riyadh: Scores | Schedule | Standings

Krejcikova pounced immediately in this one, breaking Swiatek’s opening service game when the 23-year-old from Poland launched an awkward forehand long. Swiatek’s best chance to level the set came with Krejcikova serving at 3-2. A double fault -- the first sign of nerves -- gave Swiatek three break points. Krejcikova saved them all and escaped with the game when Swiatek’s return was long.

In the second set, Krejcikova again started quickly, breaking Swiatek in her first two service games and taking what looked to be an insurmountable 3-0 lead. But just as suddenly, after Swiatek scored two breaks, it was 3-all.

They continued on serve until, with Krejcikova serving to force a tiebreak, Swiatek broke through once more. She converted her second set point when a Krejcikova backhand soared long. After 107 minutes, it was one set apiece -- and both players had won 69 points.

The momentum continued for Swiatek when she broke Krejcikova to take a 2-0 lead, which soon ballooned to 5-0. Krejcikova extended it with one last break.

Swiatek won 13 of the final 17 games. Overall, she hit 10 aces and finished with 40 winners. Match time: 2 hours, 32 minutes. 

“Honestly, I just focused on getting the balls in,” Swiatek said of the early going. “I needed to focus on the easy stuff. My main goal was just to be solid.

“I’m happy that I won because at the beginning I felt a little bit rusty. “

She's now 10-3 in matches at the WTA Finals, a winning percentage of 76.9, equaling Elina Svitolina’s standard for active players, with a minimum of 10 matches. Swiatek is now 60-8 (.882), the WTA Tour’s best winning percentage.

“It definitely wasn’t the best tennis I can play, but I was really quite solid,” Krejcikova said afterward. “I just feel I lost a little bit the momentum of the match and obviously, I’m not really sure if it was me or Iga. She just came up and started to play more aggressive, started to hit her targets better.

“Yeah, unfortunately, it’s Iga -- and you have to play two sets better than her.”

Even if Swiatek goes on to win the year-end event, Sabalenka can wrap up the top spot by winning her two remaining matches in group play.

In advance of the WTA Finals, for the first time in a couple of years, Swiatek actually practiced with Sabalenka -- the player who snatched away her No.1 ranking near the end of the past two seasons.

In 2023, Swiatek put together a blazing 11-0 run -- that included the title at the WTA Finals in Cancun -- and took it back. But this year, the gap was larger and the task more daunting. Swiatek needed another title at the year-end championships, along with some help from Sabalenka.

“Obviously we’re both fighting for this spot,” Swiatek said ahead of play. “Yeah, it’s been us basically kind of over the past few years. I mean, I am in the tournament. I obviously want to play my best game here and win this tournament.

“I’m just going to focus on my first match and do everything step by step.”