By Chris Oddo | @TheFanChild | Saturday March 23, 2024
Swiatek opened accounts in Miami with a 6-1 6-1 win over Camila Giorgi to improve to 21-2 on the season.
Photo Source: Getty
Iga Swiatek’s bid to become the second woman – and fourth player – to win the coveted Sunshine Double multiple times got underway in rapid fashion on Saturday as the top-ranked Pole blitzed Italy’s Camila Giorgi 6-1 6-1 in 67 cool minutes.
Swiatek, last week’s Indian Wells champion, stretched her current winning streak to seven as she completed her 100th career WTA 1000 match in style, winning at that level for the 81st time. Only the legend Serena Williams has notched a greater winning percentage in her first 1000-level matches (87 percent).
Only Steffi Graf has won multiple Indian Wells-Miami doubles (1994 and 1996), while Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic have done it multiple times on the men’s side.
Swiatek, who last completed the Sunshine Double in 2022, will face Linda Noskova in the third round. The 19-year-old took Swiatek out in the third round at this year’s Australian Open, but Swiatek took revenge at Indian Wells, where she handed the Czech teen a 6-4, 6-0 lesson.
"Playing against her is tough, as you could see in Australia," Swiatek said of Noskova. "I'm going to focus on myself and learn what I did wrong, what I did good on our last matches and just use that knowledge so I can play in a solid way, really efficiently. I will see. I mean, it's still going to be my second day of playing here, so I'm taking it easy. I'll just fight for every ball."
Noskova defeated Russia’s Maria Timofeeva 6-4 6-4 on Saturday in Miami.
Against Giorgi, Swiatek converted five of 11 break points as she earned her tour-leading 21st win of the season.
Keep up with all of Saturday’s scores from the Miami Open here