Iga Swiatek on Cloud Nine After Making Up for Father’s Failure by Winning Korea Open

Iga Swiatek secured her third straight win over Ekaterina Alexandrova to clinch the Korea Open.

Iga Swiatek on Cloud Nine After Making Up for Father’s Failure by Winning Korea Open

Iga Swiatek, Tomasz Swiatek (Image via Tennis365, X/TNT Sports)

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Iga Swiatek rallied from a set down to take home the Korea Open trophy with a 1-6, 7-6 (3), 7-5 win over Ekaterina Alexandrova, with the match lasting for 2 hours and 41 minutes. The Swiatek family also heaved a sigh of relief because of this victory.

Swiatek’s father, Tomasz Swiatek, missed a medal when he participated in the men’s quadruple sculls at the 1988 Summer Olympics held in Seoul. The 24-year-old wanted to win the Korea Open to make up for her father’s failure.

I’m glad I was able to win here because of the family history. My father couldn’t win at the Olympics, but at least I have won this tournament. I hope to come back in 2026 to defend it and enjoy it.

Iga Swiatek said during the on-court interview

Swiatek wanted to make her debut last year, but her three-week doping suspension forced her to skip it. She, in fact, couldn’t play in a single tournament on the Asian swing last year.

The win doesn’t affect the World No.2’s rankings much as she is still 2792 points behind World No.1 Aryna Sabalenka, who, after her US Open title defense, sits comfortably on top with 11225 points. It was Swiatek’s third title in her fourth final of the season, as well as her 25th title overall in her career.

Iga Swiatek lauds Ekaterina Alexandrova after her Korea Open victory

Ekaterina Alexandrova, if the stats are compared, played far better than Iga Swiatek in the Korea Open final. She won more points than Swiatek (108 to 97), plus hit six aces to the Pole’s two. Alexandrova also committed fewer double faults (six) than Swiatek (nine).

Iga Swiatek (via X/The Tennis Letter)
Iga Swiatek (via X/The Tennis Letter)

Swiatek was outplayed by the Russian in the first set, and the momentum in the second and third sets kept shifting back and forth. But in the end, Swiatek prevailed and took a 6-2 head-to-head lead. It was also her third straight win over the World No.11 this season.

I want to congratulate Ekaterina for an amazing week and amazing final. I don’t know how I won it, honestly. You were just playing great. I was just trying to stay alive. Congrats to your team as well. Great job. Hopefully, we will play more finals. I want to thank my team as well. Sorry for being sometimes hard, thank you for the patience. It wasn’t an easy week. Thank you for staying with me.

Iga Swiatek said during her on-court interview

Alexandrova played her third final of the season. The 30-year-old clinched the Linz Open by beating Dayana Yastremska and later lost the Monterrey Open to Diana Shnaider and the Korea Open to Swiatek. Alexandrova has one Korea Open to her name (beat Jelena Ostapenko in 2022).

The Korea Open was another first achievement for Swiatek this season. Before the Korea Open, the six-time Grand Slam champion reached her first grass-court final at the Bad Homburg Open, then reached the Wimbledon final for the first time and ended her campaign by double-bageling Amanda Anisimova. The former World No.1 then continued her winning ways by clinching the Cincinnati Open title before winning the Korea Open.

Her next destination is Beijing. Missing the China Open (she was the defending champion) and the Wuhan Open affected her rankings a great deal, but it also helped Aryna Sabalenka dethrone her from the No.1 ranking. In Wuhan, Swiatek is yet to make her debut.

The qualifying rounds of the China Open are underway, while the main draw is scheduled to start on September 23. Swiatek will be playing as the first seed, as Sabalenka withdrew from the event due to an injury.

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