Iga Swiatek overcame Emma Raducanu‘s spirited effort at the 2024 Porsche Tennis Grand Prix, revealing the key to winning after the match.
This was, in many ways, a spectacular match. It was touted as one before the match due to Swiatek’s prowess and Raducanu’s form, and they certainly delivered on that.
The match was a pretty close one, in which the Brit gave the world no. 1 about as many problems as an opponent realistically can against the Pole on the red dirt.
The Polish player had more success in the second set but still couldn’t quite steamroll the Brit easily. It was fascinating to watch, and Swiatek certainly had some insights after the match.
Speaking to media in Stuttgart, Swiatek said that she questioned whether Raducanu could keep the intensity she had in the early going of the match later on.
“I knew that even though — I mean, she started playing at the beginning pretty loose, like she had nothing to lose, and I totally get that. Sometimes it is like that. But I knew I was kind of questioning if she’s going to be able to keep the same intensity throughout the whole match.”
Swiatek’s assumption was correct, as Raducanu’s intensity did fall off in the second set, but the Polish player didn’t quite maximize that opportunity. She did break early but then wasted multiple chances to go up a double break, which made the match’s finish a bit more intense than it needed to be.
“It wasn’t about service games or return games. I was just the waiting for my chances to break back and I was sure that I’m going to get them.”
Ultimately, the win matters most, and she was able to get that without too many complications. Avoiding a third set was important, especially since the Madrid Open is coming up, so keeping the workload rather low is important.
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