Iga Swiatek Rates Her Chances of Qualifying for WTA Finals After China Open Upset

Iga Swiatek‘s China Open campaign ended in disappointment. After defeating Gao Xinyu, Donna Vekic, and Iva Jovic, the Pole lost to Elise Mertens 7-6(0), 6-3 in the quarterfinals.

It was her third defeat in the quarterfinals of a WTA 1000 tournament this season after the Qatar Open and the Indian Wells Open. Swiatek was chasing her second title of the season after the Canadian Open, where she ended her title drought by defeating World No. 1 Elena Rybakina.

Next is the Wuhan Open. Swiatek has already arrived in Wuhan for the season’s last WTA 1000. The Wuhan Open and the Dubai Tennis Championships are the only two WTA 1000 titles she has never won. She made her debut last year and lost to two-time Grand Slam singles runner-up Jasmine Paolini in the quarterfinals.

The six-time Grand Slam champion is currently 10th in the race to the WTA Finals, which will be held in Indian Wells from November 8 to November 15. Swiatek has made it clear that she will do everything possible to qualify for the year-end championships, where she clinched the title in 2023 by defeating Jessica Pegula.

For sure, that’s the goal. I’m gonna be fighting for that, and obviously I’m aware, but it doesn’t change the fact that it still feels pretty far, as there are many tournaments where you can gain many points. So I try to just take it step by step because if I’m focused only on the next match, this where I perform my best. So I’ve never been in this position, so for sure it’s another experience in my career.

Iga Swiatek said (H/T: The Tennis Gazette)

Since making her WTA Finals debut in 2021, Swiatek qualified for the event in the next four seasons. She failed to reach the semifinals in the previous two seasons.

Iga Swiatek loves competing in China

After the Wuhan Open, Iga Swiatek will compete at the Ningbo Open for the first time in her career. The tournament starts on October 19 and will run till October 25. In the final last year, Elena Rybakina defeated Ekaterina Alexandrova.

The Pan Pacific Open is the last WTA event on the Asian swing. Swiatek’s name is on the entry list for the WTA 500 event in Tokyo. The Pole, also the 2023 China Open champion, loves competing in the country because of the tremendous love and support she gets from fans.

I’m always in awe and surprised because I don’t know what I did to deserve that here, but for sure it’s giving me a lot of energy and a lot of positivity knowing that they’re behind my back and cheering for me. It’s pretty crazy, they’re so committed to being tennis fans, and I love to see that because this is what can get us through the end of the season, to push even harder for them.

Iga Swiatek said (H/T: The Tennis Gazzette)

Swiatek will face Magdalena Frech or Mananchaya Sawangkaew in the opening round of the Wuhan Open. Coco Gauff is the reigning champion, but she has decided to pull out of the tournament due to fatigue.

If Swiatek reaches the quarterfinals, she could face World No.2 Aryna Sabalenka, who is also dealing with a slump in form. The Belarusian ace lost to Nikola Bartunkova in the third round of the China Open, and last won a title at the Miami Open, beating Gauff. She recently played the final of the US Open but failed to complete a three-peat, losing in three sets to Rybakina.

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