[4] E. Rybakina b. [1] I. Swiatek 6-3 4-6 6-3
There are those data that sooner or later must fall and although this is perhaps not one of the most important and of absolute value, Iga Swiatek had never lost in Stuttgart. This was before today. It took two hours and 50 minutes of great fight against Elena Rybakina, despite perhaps not always tennis living up to the name of the two protagonists on the court, to put an end to a series that had now reached 10 consecutive successes.
A 6-3 4-6 6-3 where the Kazakh demonstrated greater quality in response, in a match where Swiatek was almost never able to count on the contribution of the serve but after a sharp partial of 0-5 in the first set she had managed to become the usual Iga that to beat her requires a particularly significant mental effort. To force her to force and make mistakes like she did in the last game, where she felt like her back was against the wall, she saw 14 consecutive break points canceled from the end of the first set. Opportunity after opportunity flowed and the Pole increasingly knew how to find a way to lead the point and (often) close with a winner.
Swiatek’s game can be judged negatively, because several numbers were far from his standards, but there is always this factor that goes beyond many discussions on what he can do well or badly that can help him and differentiate him from the others. And like today, if the opponent manages to bring the match to fruition it means that she truly deserved the victory.
(updates coming soon)
