World number one Iga Swiatek cruised into the third round of the US Open on Thursday, dismantling 217th-ranked Ena Shibahara 6-0, 6-1 in a dominant display. The Polish star, seeking her second US Open title to add to her four French Open triumphs, looked shaky in her first-round victory but found her rhythm against Shibahara, who was making her Grand Slam main draw debut.
Swiatek's victory was a testament to her mental fortitude. After struggling with focus in her opening match, she took time to reset and improve her mindset. "I kind of have the tools, but sometimes it's just hard to use them," Swiatek said. "I couldn't really focus well on my first-round match, and I wanted to improve that."
The turnaround was evident in her performance against Shibahara. Swiatek won the first seven games before the Japanese player held serve to make it 1-1 in the second set. However, Swiatek's dominance was unwavering, as she saved three break points in a 13-minute game that would be Shibahara's only success.
Swiatek's victory sets up a third-round clash with either 25th seed Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova or Elisabetta Cocciaretto. The Polish star has won five titles this year, including the French Open, and is aiming to extend her impressive run of success.
Despite her sustained dominance, Swiatek acknowledges that high expectations can sometimes hinder her performance. "Usually I don't feel well on court when I have too big expectations ... because of that I make wrong decisions on court," she said. "So I just try to kind of reset and to remember that I don't have to play perfect tennis all the time."
Swiatek's mental reset has paid dividends, and she will be looking to continue her impressive form as she targets a deep run at the US Open.
Tags: #USOpen, #IgaSwiatek, #Tennis, #GrandSlam, #MentalReset
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