Iga Swiatek and Coco Gauff enjoyed victorious debuts to their WTA Finals campaigns in Riyadh on Sunday, albeit in contrasting fashion.
Swiatek began her title defense with an almighty comeback, coming back from a set down and a double break to defeat eighth-seeded Barbora Krejcikova 4-6, 7-5, 6-2 in two hours and 33 minutes.
The victory was crucial for the Polish second seed to keep alive her hopes of regaining the number one ranking against Aryna Sabalenka.
Meanwhile, third-placed American Gauff had an easier evening, scoring a 6-3, 6-2 victory over compatriot and US Open finalist Jessica Pegula in 75 minutes.
“She’s always a tough opponent. And these conditions against her, it’s tough,” said Gauff, who ended a three-game losing streak against Pegula.
“But overall, I think I’m just happy with the way I played. Sometimes it was sloppy, sometimes it was great, but that’s tennis. I thought we both played at a high level I think I just managed to break through on some of the most important points.
Earlier, at the King Saud University Indoor Arena, making her first competitive appearance in two months, Swiatek fell behind 4-6, 0-3 before securing a comeback against Krejcikova.
“Of course it wasn’t easy. At first I felt a little rusty but I’m happy that I found a way to play a little more solidly,” said Swiatek, who finished the match with 10 aces .
“I tried to do the usual things to control the ball a little more because it was flying like crazy on my racket.
“I knew I had this game in me, I just needed to find it. It was hard to be patient with it but in the end I’m glad I kept going and didn’t think about it. score.”
Swiatek, a five-time major champion, did not participate in last month’s Asian tournament and has not played a match since being eliminated in the quarterfinals of the US Open in early September.
The 23-year-old Pole parted ways with her coach of three years Tomasz Wiktorowski and began her new partnership with Belgian coach Wim Fissette at these WTA Finals.
Krejcikova is ranked 13th in the world but claimed a place in Riyadh among the top eight players on the tour thanks to a new rule implemented this season that gives priority to a Grand Slam champion who maintains a ranking between nine and 20 compared to the eighth. player in the race for the tournament.
– Riposte –
Swiatek had three consecutive break points in her first service game. She saved the first two but overcooked a forehand, sending it long only to get broken early in the match.
A costly double fault saw Krejcikova fall behind 0-40, but the Czech swept the next five points to dig herself out of trouble and take a 4-2 lead.
Swiatek saved a set point with a good serve in the ninth game to hold, but Krejcikova was flummoxed as she comfortably served the entire set to take the lead in 47 minutes.
The two-time Grand Slam champion seemed on course for a comfortable straight-set victory when she took a 3-0 lead with a double break in the second set, punishing Swiatek’s second serve and benefiting from poorly timed shots of his opponent.
But that only sparked a fightback from Swiatek, who erased her deficit by winning the next four games to take the lead for the first time in the match.
Krejcikova double-faulted at a crucial moment, giving Swiatek two set point chances in game 12. Swiatek converted her second chance to win the set and force a decider.
This took the wind out of Krejcikova’s sails as Swiatek quickly built a 5-0 lead.
Swiatek was broken while serving for the match, but quickly corrected himself, breaking Krejcikova in the eighth game to seal the victory.
With Sabalenka’s first-round victory over Zheng Qinwen on Saturday, Swiatek will now need to win the title, while also winning at least two round-robin matches, in order to secure year-end rankings.
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