SUBSCRIBE TO NEWSLETTER!
 
 
Facebook Social Button Twitter Social Button Follow Us on InstagramYouTube Social Button
NewsScoresRankingsLucky Letcord PodcastShopPro GearPickleballGear Sale


By Richard Pagliaro | Saturday, October 8, 2022

 
Iga Swiatek

Roland Garros champion Iga Swiatek beat Ekaterina Alexandrova 7-6(5), 2-6, 6-4 to set up an Ostrava final vs. 2021 French Open winner Barbora Krejcikova.

Photo credit: Getty

Surround sound enveloped Ostrava today.

Fans were stomping their feet chanting "Iga! Iga!" late in the third set of a tight semifinal.

More: Alcaraz, Nadal Make History

World No. 1 Iga Swiatek answered the call.

Channeling exhortation into action, Swiatek stamped successive shutout games sparking a 7-6(5), 2-6, 6-4 victory over Ekaterina Alexandrova in a two hour, 37-minute thriller.




It is Swiatek's 10th consecutive victory and sends her into her eighth final of the season.

The Ostrava final will bear French flavor as reigning Roland Garros champion Swiatek will take on 2021 Roland Garros singles and doubles champion Barbora Krejcikova in tomorrow's final of streaking Slam champions.

Empowered by her run to the Tallinn title last week, Krejcikova beat Wimbledon winner Elena Rybakina 3-6, 7-6(4), 6-4 for her eighth straight win.




Overall, the 21-year-old Swiatek is 2-0 against Krejcikova, including a 6-4, 6-2 sweep at the 2021 Miami Open, which was their lone meeting on hard court.

Alexandrova beat Swiatek in their only other encounter at the 2021 Gippsland Trophy and, like Liudmila Samsonova, another hard hitter willing to drive the ball down the line, she showed the ball-striking skills to take it to the world No. at times today.

Still, Swiatek found her blistering topspin forehand at the right time, scrambled with vigor and closed with conviction to raise her WTA-best record to 58-7. The US Open champion improved to 12-3 in WTA semifinals.




The opening set tiebreaker was knotted up at 5-5 when Alexandrova netted successive shots. Swiatek seized the tight opening set in 65 minutes.

Alexandrova pushed Swiatek back behind the baseline with a biting return then banged a clean backhand winner down the line breaking for a 2-0 second-set lead.

Tennis Express

World No. 21 Alexandrova waited on a forehand and turned her shoulders and hips into a flat forehand winner to back up the break.



The top seed was landing her first serve, but Alexandrova's deep returns were coming right back at Swiatek. The Pole hit her first double fault of the day to face another break point. While Alexandrova is often at her best swinging aggressively from the baseline, she used her length to defend brilliantly. Flicking back a return, Alexandrova raced to hit a lunging running forehand. Swiatek had a good look at a wide expanse of open court,but missed a forehand as Alexandrova broke for 4-0.

Swiatek stopped her five-game slide with her first hold of the set then successfully challenged on an Alexandrova serve that replay showed was long. That challenge sealed Swiatek's break in the seventh game.

Driving the ball down the line with authority, Alexandrova continued to terrorize the US Open champion's serve.  Scalding a forehand return down the line for a break and set point, Alexandrova blistered a backhand down the opposite sideline snatching the second set with her third break of the second set.




Swiatek could not dent the Alexandrova first serve as the 27-year-old Russian won all 10 of her first serve points in the 43-minute second set.

At times, Alexandrova was overpowering Swiatek with her down the line drives. The two-time Roland Garros champion hung tough rallying from love-30 down with a cluster of crackling forehands to hold for 3-all in the decider. At 30-all in that game, Alexandrova had a good look at a forehand down the line but caught the top of the tape.

That narrow miss haunted the Russian, who fell into a triple break point hole. Swiatek fought off a good serve and Alexandrova lined a forehand into net donating the break and a 4-3 lead to the world No. 1 after two hours, 24 minutes.

Swiatek snatched the momentum and was playing off her front foot more frequently. On the opposite side of the net, Alexandrova, who played near flawless tennis in the second set, couldn't keep the ball between the lines. Swiatek stormed through nine of 10 points as she confirmed the break for 5-3.




Alexandrova saved two match points and slid a serve down the middle to erase a third match point. Alexandrova fired her fifth ace holding for 4-5 and forcing Swiatek to serve it out.

Serving for her 12th final, Swiatek closed it out in two hours, 34 minutes when Alexandrova's final return sailed long.


 

Latest News