“Nobody can win every week, it’s impossible,” Barbara Schett opines on Iga Swiatek’s chances at the 2022 US Open
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Iga Swiatek and Barbara Schett
World No. 1 Iga Swiatek is gearing up for her 4th US Open appearance as the Pole looks for her 2nd major of the season at the 2022 US Open. She reached the semis in the 2022 Australian Open and then went on to win the 2022 French Open in what was a purple patch for the Pole. However, since her 3rd round defeat at the 2022 Wimbledon Championships, things have been shaky for the Pole.
Iga has reached only 1 quarter-final since then with back-to-back Round of 16 defeats in Canada and Cincinnati. However, with Iga winning a hattrick of WTA-1000 titles on hardcourts earlier this year, the chances of her repeating a similar success in New York are still on the cards and for many fans, the World No. 1 is the favourite for the title over the course of the next fortnight.
“You can’t write her off,”: Barbara Schett on Iga Swiatek’s chances
While one can’t deny the dip in form for Iga who had injured her shoulder during the Clay season and did not play on any grass event leading up to Wimbledon, the 21-year-old still possesses the arsenal to take down anyone at the Grand Slam as she also likes the surface and has improved her performances at the major ever since her debut back in 2019.
“You have to say she has still had a phenomenal year even though she lost a couple of times in the third round now. She had that loss against Alize Cornet at Wimbledon. But in tennis, you win, you lose. Nobody can win every week, it’s impossible. At the end of the day, she had shown so much consistency throughout this whole year. She still has all this experience at Grand Slam events. You can’t write her off, you still have to put her in that small circle of players who could win your title, that’s for sure. It’s very unpredictable.
“Iga has lost a few matches early on, I think a couple of third round matches she’s lost now in that swing in America. Of course, somebody like Caroline Garcia is full of confidence. She’s had an unbelievable last few months as well, not just in Cincinnati. We know that she feels comfortable at the moment, we know what kind of tennis she can play so she can be very dangerous, I think to maybe knock on the door to win the title,” said Barbara Schett speaking on Eurosport.
Barbara also commented on the other candidates for the title saying, “Simona Halep, she knows how to win Grand Slam titles. She’s done it before. And we’ll see how she goes with that injury, she had to pull out of Cincinnati. But I think the women’s side is exciting. I always keep on saying it. I don’t want to know who wins the title before [the tournament]. I don’t want to be certain about it. I want surprises and we’ve seen it in the past and I find that very refreshing.
“Remember in Wimbledon, it was [Elena] Rybakina. Let’s not forget Coco Gauff and Madison Keys, the two of them. They love playing in the States. So, I think it’s going to be it’s a good mixture. And it’s once again going to be extremely exciting,” concluded Schett as similar to many fans, she waits for the major to commence.
Swiatek will start her campaign against Jasmine Paolini and could face a former US Open champ as early as the second round with Sloane Stephens likely her opponent in Round 2.
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Sarthak Shitole
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