Iga Swiatek fought hard to defeat Czech player Marie Bouzková 7-6, 7-6, advancing to the fourth round of the US Open tennis championship on Saturday and setting up a meeting with Chinese Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen.
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The Polish player, who won the tournament in 2022, is going through the toughest season of her career, but she fought fiercely, managing to break her opponent's rhythm thanks to 18 successful forehand shots.
Swiatek, 25, said the match was physically demanding, with many long rallies, and was not easy.
The two players traded breaks of serve twice in the first four games before the match turned into a fierce battle.
Bouzková played a precise shot into the far corner to break Swiatek's serve in the 11th game, but the Pole answered back to level the score with a backhand her opponent couldn't return.
Swiatek had put to rest concerns about her form last month by winning in Toronto, and she moved ahead precisely during the tiebreak. Bouzková made an early double fault.
The Pole regained the initiative after trailing 3–0 in the second set, saving three set points that would have handed her opponent the set, on Świątek's own serve in a lengthy 12th game, refusing to join the list of prominent players who have exited the tournament.
Swiatek said that when she faced those set points, she was serving, but her opponent played an astonishing backhand along the line, very low. She told herself she hoped she'd get chances to win the set back, and she focused only on taking them when they came. She said she was glad she did.
She then got a three-point head start in the tiebreak, ultimately beating Bouzková with a backhand on match point.
She added that she was glad she raised her level in the tiebreaks to close out the match, since she felt that was important, and thought it was a good match overall.
In her next match, Swiatek will face Chinese player Zheng, who advanced through qualifying, in a rematch of the semifinal at the Paris 2024 Olympics, when the Chinese player dramatically ended the Polish player's 25-match winning streak.
