Dubai: World No 1 Iga Swiatek seemed to be in the perfect place in Dubai, with her game and her mindset after a solid performance in her first match after winning the Qatar Open.
The Pole eased to a 6-1, 6-1 win over Leylah Annie Fernandez, a Canadian of Filipino origin, to strengthen her title credentials in a solid field that had 17 of the top 20 in women’s tennis. Swiatek also praised her opponent, saying the scoreline doesn’t reflect the real nature of the contest.
“Leylah and I have played two or three matches already. I know she can play great tennis. We had three tight games, tight situations today. It was much tougher than the score says,” Swiatek said during a press conference after booking a place in the next round, where she will face Luidmila Samsanova.
“She’s a lefty and she’s using that, so I have to adjust to that. She’s a really talented player. I am pretty sure that in the future she’s going to win many tournaments.”
Swiatek didn’t have too much time to adjust to Dubai conditions after arriving late for the event, but the 21-year-old three-time Grand Slam winner says she didn’t have to do too much of the transition from Doha.
Whole swing
“It was a really solid performance and I’m happy I could play so well because it’s the first match here. I didn’t really have time to adjust to the conditions. I’m just happy that I could put pressure on Leylah,” she added. “Playing with the Australian Open ball for the whole swing makes it easy for me.”
The Pole is currently the player to beat for the rest in the women’s tour. However, Swiatek is not looking at what her rivals are doing and aims to focus on her game.
“It’s more about how I want to approach the tournaments mentally, my attitude and developing as a player. I feel I have many things to improve on court. Sometimes it’s not going to be visible by results or the way I play. I think I can have more options on court. These are my goals,” concluded Swiatek.
