Iga Świątek (1. WTA) is one of the favorites to triumph in the US Open and so far she has been fulfilling this role. She had some problems in the clash with the qualifier Kamilla Rakhimowa (104. WTA), but in the end she defeated her 6:4, 7:6(6). A much easier task awaited her in the second round. There she completely dominated Ena Shibihara (217. WTA). Suffice it to say that the match lasted only one hour and six minutes, and the Pole gave away… one game. “Full control”, “Patience and precision”, “Top concentration” – experts wrote. It turns out that a lot happened not only in the 23-year-old's matches, but also in other meetings. There were decisions that could have a big impact on the WTA ranking leader's adventure with New York courts.
Iga Świątek on her way to the US Open title. This is what her bracket looks like. It's good
Now, Świątek will face Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova. The Pole will be the favorite, as indicated not only by the ranking – her rival is 27th – but also by the balance of direct duels. So far, the ladies have faced each other once and our compatriot came out on top. What's more, she literally swept the Russian off the court – 6:0, 6:0.
And what if Świątek advances to the fourth round? There, her opponent will be the winner of the clash between Ludmila Samsonova (16. WTA) and Ashlyn Krueger (59. WTA). The presence of the American may be particularly surprising. She caused a huge sensation and defeated the rising tennis star, Mirra Andreyeva, and clearly, because 6:1, 6:4.
If Świątek wins, she will be in the quarterfinals, where she could face Jessica Pegula (6th WTA). The women have faced each other nine times so far, but the Pole has better statistics – six wins. Apart from the American, Świątek's rivals at this stage could be Sara Errani (96th WTA), Diana Schneider (18th WTA) or Jessica Bouzas Maneiro (74th WTA).
In the semi-finals, our compatriot may face Caroline Wozniacki (71. WTA), Beatriz Haddad Maia (21. WTA) or Karolina Muchova (52. WTA). These are hellishly dangerous opponents. The Pole can also talk about luck.
At this stage she could have met her nightmare, Jelena Ostapenko (10th WTA), with whom she had lost all her previous matches. However, the Latvian sensationally said goodbye to the tournament in the first round. Jelena Rybakina (4th WTA), who withdrew due to injury, is no longer competing in the event, and Światek could have also played with her in the semifinal.
If the Pole manages to reach the final, her rivals there may be Aryna Sabalenka (2nd WTA), Emma Navarro (12th WTA), Paula Badosa (29th WTA), Coco Gauff (3rd WTA) or Qinwen Zheng (7th WTA). Świątek has bad memories especially with the first and the last of the mentioned opponents. She lost to the Belarusian in the recent tournament in Cincinnati, and to the Chinese at the Olympic Games.
Iga Świątek's bracket to the US Open final:
- 3rd round – Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (27. WTA)
- 1/8 finals – Lyudmila Samsonova (16. WTA) / Ashlyn Krueger (59. WTA)
- quarterfinal – Jessica Pegula (6th WTA) / Diana Schneider (18th WTA) / Jessica Bouzas Maneiro (74th WTA) / Sara Errani (96th WTA)
- semi-final – Jasmine Paolini (5. WTA) / Beatriz Haddad Maia (21. WTA) / Yulia Putintseva (32. WTA) / Anastasia Potapova (38. WTA) / Karolina Muchova (52. WTA) / Caroline Wozniacki (71. WTA)
- final – Aryna Sabalenka (2nd WTA) / Coco Gauff (3rd WTA) / Qinwen Zheng (7th WTA) / Wiktoria Azarenka (20th WTA) / Paula Badosa (29th WTA) / Emma Navarro (12th WTA).
The match between Świątek and Pavlyuchenkova will take place on Saturday, August 31. The start time is not yet known. The game plan will be published on Friday. We invite you to follow the text coverage of this clash on the Sport.pl home page and in our mobile application.