After failing to defend her title at the US Open with a fourth-round loss last month, then subsequently dropping to the No. 2 ranking after a 75-week reign on top, it was unclear what was next for Iga Swiatek.
While several of her peers in recent years had struggled under the weight of expectations after milestone titles, the 22-year-old Swiatek had been the model of consistency since her first major victory at the 2020 French Open. But now things seemed a little less certain. Ahead of her opening-round match at the China Open last week, Swiatek said she was feeling “really anxious” and she later said she struggled with confidence and self-belief since her early exit in New York.
But despite all the emotions and lingering doubt, Swiatek not only won her first match in Beijing, but she went on to win the tournament. Dropping just one set and defeating top-10 players Caroline Garcia and Coco Gauff en route to the final, Swiatek routed Liudmila Samsonova 6-2, 6-2 on Sunday in just 69 minutes for her first 1000-level trophy of the year.
Swiatek couldn’t help but tear up at the end of the match.
“I cried a little bit after because I know how tough it was for us to kind of, I don’t know, stay positive and stay focused on the future,” Swiatek told reporters later. “Maybe not for us, but for me. I felt huge support from my team during these past weeks. I was really just grateful for that.”
IGA DOING IGA TYPE THINGS 🏆👑@iga_swiatek secures her first Hologic WTA 1000 trophy of the season and her 16th career title!!!#ChinaOpen pic.twitter.com/OEyBL5lbwK
— wta (@WTA) October 8, 2023
It marked her fifth title of 2023, and she became the first woman to win five or more titles in back-to-back seasons since Serena Williams did so in 2014 and 2015. She also became the first player in WTA history to win six 1000-level titles before turning 23.
“I feel like this tournament will give me confidence for the rest of my career that there’s always a chance to overcome and work on what you do or what you feel,” Swiatek said. “You can always get better. Sometimes it’s pretty easy, but we tend to make it more complicated in our heads.”
Swiatek will now turn her focus to the WTA Finals, where she will have a chance to reclaim the world No. 1 ranking from Aryna Sabalenka. If she were to do so, or take over the top spot at any point, she said she would be better prepared for the role this time around.
“I think if I learn and take lessons from it, it’s going to…
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