Tennis player Swiatek battles through to reach US Open's fourth round
In an exhilarating match on the Arthur Ashe Stadium court, Polish second seed Iga Swiatek overcame a 5-1 deficit in the opening set to defeat 29th-seeded Ekaterina Kalinskaya 7-6 (7/2), 6-4.
Kalinskaya started the match strongly, racing into the lead. Swiatek, the pre-tournament betting favourite, initially struggled to find her rhythm on serve, making a stream of unforced errors. However, Kalinskaya squandered four set points while serving for the set at 5-2 up, allowing Swiatek a chance to claw her way back.
The set went with serve until Swiatek broke Kalinskaya to level the set at 5-5. There was another twist as the players swapped breaks of serve to set up a tiebreak. Swiatek won the tiebreak comfortably, setting the stage for a second set.
The second set opened with both players again trading breaks of serve. Swiatek went 2-1 down after being broken in the third game. However, the momentum appeared to be with Swiatek after the set was tied at 5-5. A whipped Swiatek forehand set up match point, and she converted it when Kalinskay yanked a return wide.
Swiatek's opponent, Kalinskaya, had Swiatek in trouble again in the fifth game, but a nervy double-fault at break point from Swiatek handed Kalinskaya a 4-1 lead. Swiatek focused on simple things and went for her shots more aggressively after falling behind significantly, and it paid off as she broke Kalinskaya to level the set at 4-4.
In the end, Swiatek clawed her way back into the contest, winning the match 7-6 (7/2), 6-4. Swiatek was at a loss to explain her turnaround, attributing it to Kalinskaya's strong play and her own desire to make fewer mistakes.
Swiatek will face Russian 13th seed Ekaterina Alexandrova in the fourth round on Monday. This will be a challenging match, but Swiatek's fighting spirit and determination will undoubtedly make it an exciting one to watch.
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