WTA Finals: Swiatek sweeps aside Vondrousova, keeps No 1 hopes alive
Iga Swiatek has defeated Marketa Vondrousova 7-6 (3), 6-0 at the WTA Finals in Cancun, Mexico, going top of the Chetumal Group after one match
(Zuma/Panoramic)
Iga Swiatek has defeated Marketa Vondrousova 7-6 (3), 6-0 to open her campaign at the WTA Finals in Cancun, Mexico, on Monday evening.
The Pole moves top of the Chetumal Group with her victory, where she’ll be vying for top spot alongside Coco Gauff and Ons Jabeur as well. Swiatek also keeps her hopes of ending the year No 1 alive, though the race ultimately sits in Aryna Sabalenka’s hands still.
Epic comeback sees Swiatek record yet another bagel
While the score lines makes it seem as though Swiatek blew Vondrousova away in this encounter, the reality is the world No 2 was very lucky to not go the distance in her opening match at the WTA Finals.
Vondrousova came out firing, grabbing an early 5-2 lead in the first set.
However, Swiatek found her range just in time, powering back from the three-game deficit to force a first set tiebreaker. She won the breaker 7-3, and from there the rest was history, with the 22-year-old doing what she does best, and notching yet another 6-0 set in 2023.
The bagel was Swiatek’s 50th 6-0 or 6-1 set this season, as she continues to be one of the most devastating front-runners on the WTA Tour. Key for the second seed was her return of Vondrousova’s second serve, where she won 14/20 points which led her to break the Czech player on six separate occasions.
Following the victory, Swiatek added to the controversy surrounding this year’s WTA Finals, saying, “I hope for the next matches we can make the stadium full, because there are many empty seats. Guys, please come and watch our game. We are giving 100% in every match.”
Next up, Coco Gauff will take on Ons Jabeur in the Chetumal Group, before a day off for the group tomorrow.
