Iga Swiatek is finally finding her hard court form. The 20-year-old Pole hit the main WTA tour in 2019. Unknown on the main tour Swiatek had been on the ITF circuit. The two years on the lower tier saw Swiatek collect seven titles. The Pole won every final she was in.
Swiatek claimed the junior Wimbledon title in 2018 and the French Open junior doubles Caty McNally. The Pole skipped the junior US Open, this was a genius move. Swiatek claimed her last two ITF titles in 2018 to move into the top 200.
Grand Slam season 2019
Still relatively unknown ,Swiatek qualified for the Australian Open. The Pole defeated Ana Bogdan ranked many places above her to make the second round. Swiatek made the final of Ladies Open Lugano, held on clay. The youngster went on to make the fourth round at Roland Garros.
Wimbledon and the grass proved a bogey event for the Pole. Swiatek couldn’t progress beyond the first round. The youngster bookended the slam year with a second round finish at the US Open.
Iga Swiatek French Open Champion
Swiatek started 2020 at the Australian Open. Showing more skill than previously, the Pole matched the best showing to date. The youngster made the fourth round of the first Slam of the year. What happened in Paris surprised everyone.
Swiatek was ranked #54 at the rescheduled French Open in September. The Pole defeated 2019 runner up Marketa Vondrousova in the first round. Swiatek’s biggest upset came in the fourth round. The youngster demolished top seed Simona Halep. The Romanian was heavy favorite for the title. Swiatek showed no nerves to avenge the result from the previous year.
The Pole defeated Sofia Kenin in the final. Swiatek become the first Polish player ever to win a Grand Slam and the youngest player to claim the crown since Rafael Nadal in 2005. Swiatek became a very solid clay court player with this title.
Clay Brilliance transitioning to hard court
Swiatek started the following season in the Top 20. The Pole was seeded for the first time at the Australian Open. The French Open champion made the fourth round again. Halep avenged the defeat in Paris, but needed three sets to do so. Swiatek won the WTA event in Adelaide without dropping a set.
The Pole then claimed her first 1000 event title. Demolishing Karolina Pliskova in the final. Swiatek lost only 13 points in the match. The youngster showed her clay court brilliance heading into the French Open where she would be defending champion.
Swiatek made the quarterfinal before being knocked out of the event. The Pole made the fourth round at Wimbledon and the US Open. Swiatek was the only player to progress to at least the fourth round in every grand slam event.
Consistency has been the key. Swiatek is starting to bring the clay form into the hard courts. This season the Pole has already made the semi final in Adelaide. Swiatek will play Kaia Kanepi in the quarterfinal of the Australian Open. The Pole is aiming to claim her second Grand Slam title. The youngster could make the second semifinal of the year. Who knows how far Swiatek will go.
Things are looking good for the Pole, though. Transitioning the clay court form onto the hard courts can only be a good thing.
Polish tennis has a bright future with Iga Swiatek.
Main Photo from Getty.
