Speaking to the press following her loss to Aryna Sabalenka in the semifinals of the 2024 Cincinnati Open, Iga Swiatek admitted that her performance during the match was subpar. The World No.1 attributed her defeat to Sabalenka playing to her strengths and her own poor serving at the beginning, which she said disrupted her rhythm.
“I think Aryna was just playing better today and using her advantages and I didn’t serve well at the beginning, which kind of threw me off my rhythm. For sure, it wasn’t a good performance for me,” Swiatek said [via WTATennis.com].
Despite the defeat, Swiatek expressed that she was satisfied with her overall performance throughout the tournament. She said that the lessons she learned from the semifinal loss will help her address her weaknesses before the upcoming 2024 US Open.
“[Overall in the tournament] I played much better than I expected, honestly, especially on this surface. So I’m happy with the result anyway, and already kind of focusing on what I need to do to feel even better in New York. And we’ll work on stuff for sure,” she added .
Looking ahead, Iga Swiatek will next compete in the 2024 US Open which is scheduled to begin on August 26. The Pole has previously clinched the New York Slam in 2022 when she defeated Ons Jabeur in the final.
