A year ago, Iga Świątek said goodbye to the team in the 1/8 finals. US Open. She was then the defending champion and played quite nervously from the very beginning, and the culmination came in the duel with the Latvian Jelena Ostapenko, a very uncomfortable opponent for her. The world's number one racket has had a 0-4 record against her since then. Since Monday, Ludmila Samsonova has had the same record against the Pole, with whom the 23-year-old from Raszyn has now won 6-4, 6-1.
Świątek showed her power. She spotted a big star in the stands
– Lyudmila Samsonova has long been an enigma. This is partly due to her tennis. She is one of the cleanest players who hits the ball, has great technique and can play almost anything. But she still can't reach the quarterfinals in a Grand Slam – wrote in the preview of Monday's match Świątek David Kane from the portal tennis.com.
The 25-year-old Russian, who has spent most of her life in Italy (her family moved there when she was a year old) and learned to play tennis there, made her third attempt at reaching the top eight, but there was never a moment when it seemed she was close to making it. Before the match, few people had given her a chance of causing a big surprise.
– I don't believe it. Świątek is playing too well and evenly. The beginning match will be key here – Eurosport expert Mats Wilander analyzed just before the start of the duel.
Just at the beginning of the match, Samsonova, ranked 16th in the WTA ranking, was able to withstand the game-for-game competition with the favorite. She owed this to a large extent to her good service. It ended when the decisive phase of the first set came.
– I'm learning how to deal with pressure. The pressure I put on myself, the pressure of the moment and the pressure of the ranking. I think it all comes down to the mental aspect. If I can deal with that aspect, I'll be able to reach the end of the tournament – the Russian said recently.
It seems that from the end of the first set, this aspect let her down. She started playing nervously and making too many mistakes, which contrasted greatly with Świątek's calm play. Even the presence of Jason Sudeikis, the TV series' Ted Lasso – the miracle-working coach, in the stands did not help the Russian. It turns out that the famous actor was noticed this time by the Pole, who usually tries to focus on the court.
– I'm a fan of Ted Lasso, especially the positive approach he presents in the series. There's team spirit there, because it's football after all, and we're alone on the court. I avoid looking at the screens, but when I looked at the referee, I noticed the actor in the stands who plays the main role. Well, but I tried to stay focused. This series is mainly about mentality and I hope Jason Sudeikis liked my game – Świątek noted in the post-match interview.
Just the positivity. It's a totally different sport because there it's all about team spirit. Here a little bit as well with my team but we're alone on the court. I try to avoid looking at the screens. But I saw him tonight when I was looking at the chair umpire. I wanted to stay focused and I hope he appreciates my mentality because this is what Ted Lasso is all about. I hope he enjoys and he's not working right now on a new series or something
This time, it was from her that one could learn the composure that she herself lacked a year ago in New York. Then, she made simple mistakes and basically lost to herself. She was clearly weighed down by the defense of her title and the specter of losing her position as the leader of the world ranking, which also became a fact. During this year's edition of the US Open, Świątek played just as badly in the opening match, and in each subsequent match she was much better.
Thanks to this, the 23-year-old player has once again registered for the quarterfinals of a Grand Slam on hard courts after a two-year break. In January, nerves usually eat her up at the Australian Open, which was repeated last year in New York, where an additional difficulty is the characteristic din, from which not all players can cut themselves off.
With Monday's victory, Świątek also sealed a symbolic anniversary. It was her 100th singles match in the Grand Slam. The balance of the tennis player trained by Tomasz Wiktorowski is truly impressive – 83-17. She will fight for her 84th victory in the quarterfinals of the New York event with American Jessica Pegula.