Iga Swiatek Says Competing at the US Open Mixed Doubles After Cincinnati “Was the Most Extreme Schedule”

Iga Swiatek is now a strong contender for the US Open singles title after winning the Cincinnati Open.

Iga Swiatek Says Competing at the US Open Mixed Doubles After Cincinnati “Was the Most Extreme Schedule”

Iga Swiatek (via X/The Tennis Letter)

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Iga Swiatek has revealed that playing the Cincinnati Open final and the US Open mixed doubles opening match in less than 24 hours was one of the most extreme situations she has ever gone through in her career. The 24-year-old didn’t have time to celebrate her success in Ohio as she needed to catch an early flight to New York.

She had kicked off her North America hard-court campaign at the Canadian Open, reaching the round of 16 before losing to Clara Tauson. Swiatek then traveled to Cincinnati for the WTA 1000 event, where she reached the final after beating Elena Rybakina in straight sets in the last four of the tournament.

She faced Jasmine Paolini in the Cincinnati final on Monday (August 18), and produced an excellent performance to beat the Italian star 7-5, 6-4, hitting nine aces to win the title without dropping a set. That also meant that she lifted her 11th career ATP Masters 1000 title, the second highest in the WTA, just behind Serena Williams with 13.

But she didn’t have to celebrate the success as the Cincinnati Open posted a video of her and the men’s singles champion Carlos Alcaraz already on a flight heading to New York for the US Open mixed doubles. She arrived at the event in the early hours of Tuesday (August 19) and was in action alongside her partner Casper Ruud.

During her press conference at the US Open, she said that everything was done quickly after her win at the Cincinnati Open to meet up with the mixed doubles event. She added that she didn’t have time to celebrate her maiden Cincinnati title:

To be honest, I have already had the experience of not having time to celebrate. But this was the most extreme situation and the most extreme schedule after winning a tournament. Yeah, I did some stretching, ice bath, quick shower, media. And about an hour and a half after the match, we were already on our way to the airport. That was it. It was pretty quick. But I’m glad I got all the media done. That was the most important thing.

Swiatek has now won two titles from her last three tournaments. The former World No.1 had struggled to reach a final before June but since the Bad Homburg Open, she has been playing great tennis on the court. Tennis legend Martina Navratilova has backed her to win the US Open women’s singles title.

Iga Swiatek admits the Cincinnati Open final would have been played earlier after finishing as runners-up in US Open mixed doubles

Despite not having enough time to rest Iga Swiatek reached the final of the US Open mixed doubles event alongside her partner Casper Ruud. The pair defeated Jessica Pegula and Jack Draper 3-5, 5-3, 10-8 in 1 hour and 26 minutes at the Arthur Ashe Stadium. But they fell to Sara Errani and Andrea Vavassori 3-6, 7-5, 6-10 in the final.

Casper Ruud and Iga Swiatek
Casper Ruud and Iga Swiatek (via The Tennis Letter)

However, when asked about how the event went, she was impressed with the format and the scoring of points. But she added that the Cincinnati final could have been played earlier than Monday (August 18):

This is the only way that singles players could play without influencing the individual tournament, something we obviously want to avoid. Perhaps the Cincinnati final could have been earlier, if that were possible because that was the toughest part for me. The format of playing only up to four games is fine. It’s obviously short, but I think you can still see who is better.

Swiatek will now focus on the US Open singles event, a tournament she has failed to reach the semi-finals of since winning it in 2022. With her current red-hot form, she will hope to claim the title, which will take her Grand Slam tally to seven.

Also Read: Andy Roddick is Worried Carlos Alcaraz May Catch Jannik Sinner’s Sickness Bug After Cincinnati retirement