Iga Świątek has been dominating women's tennis for over two years now. Her advantage in the WTA rankings is simply astronomical – she currently beats second-place Coco Gauff by 3302 points. And she will soon have the opportunity to jump ahead of her rival even more. She will start in the WTA 1000 in Cincinnati. Last season, she reached the semi-finals there, where she lost to the aforementioned American. The Polish player has already flown to the United States and started preparing for the tournament. She has also had her first training sessions. It turns out that she has also found time for additional activity.
Iga Świątek posed with an Olympic medal. A unique session in Cincinnati
Świątek took part in a photoshoot conducted by a well-known WTA photographer who runs the Jimmie48 Photography profile. The occasion was exceptional. In the photos, the tennis player poses with the bronze medal from the Olympic Games. She won it by defeating Anna Karolina Schmiedova in the decisive match, and quite clearly, because 6:2, 6:1.
At first, the 23-year-old was very depressed about this result. After all, she came to Paris with a clear goal – to win Olympic gold. However, Qinwen Zheng stood in her way. Right after winning the bronze medal, the Pole was not overly happy, and tears were running down her cheeks. However, it is clear that “time heals wounds” and the world's first racket began to appreciate the third place at the Olympics, because bronze is also a great success. The change in her attitude can be seen in the photos from the session. She is smiling from ear to ear, holding the medal in her hand. In one of the photos, she symbolically bites it gently.
This session was special not only for Świątek, but also for the author himself, as he shared more on social media. “I was fortunate enough to be given the opportunity to capture Świątek with some of the most iconic and prestigious tennis trophies she has won over the past four years – on her way to becoming the most dominant player, and here is a very special addition to my photographic record of her career,” we read. The photographer also added that this is a special medal for several reasons – one of them being the fact that it is Poland's first medal in tennis.
It won't be easy in Cincinnati. Challenging days before Christmas
Now, Świątek will compete in Cincinnati. The tournament will be one of the tests before the last Grand Slam event of the year, the US Open. On Sunday, Świątek got to know the bracket and, as a result, the potential rivals she will face in the southwestern part of Ohio..
She received a bye in the first round, so she will start the competition in the next stage. And there she can play with Alja Tomljanović or a qualifier. There is no doubt that our compatriot will be the favorite. The difficulties will most likely start in the quarterfinals, where she can face Jasmine Paolini, among others.