World No. 1 Iga Swiatek said she was proud of her effort after surviving a tricky round-of-16 matchup against Jule Niemeier at the US Open. On Monday, first-seeded Swiatek survived a major scare to beat 108th-ranked Niemeier 2-6 6-4 6-0.
Swiatek was down by a set and a break, before storming back to win Niemeier and seal her first US Open quarterfinal. “The quarterfinals is my best [US Open] result,” Swiatek said after the win, per the WTA website.
“I’m proud of that. For sure this season it’s really satisfying”.
Swiatek: I’m proud that I didn’t lose hope
Niemeier got off to a stunning start to the match, breaking Swiatek twice to easily win the first set.
After winning the first set, Niemeier earned the first break of the second set in the third game to open a 2-1 lead. Down by a set and a break, Swiatek somehow found a way to win the second set and force a decider. Even though Swiatek got broken three times in the second set, she still managed to win the set after breaking Niemeier four times.
Niemeier’s game collapsed after losing the second set as Swiatek dominated the third set to complete a three-set win. “I’m just proud that I didn’t lose hope,” Swiatek added. “I had a hard time pushing her back.
I’m pretty glad it worked. I used my experience to keep my level the whole match”. Swiatek plays next eighth-seeded Jessica Pegula, who defeated Petra Kvitova 6-3 6-2. After losing the first set, Kvitova started the second set with a break and a 2-0 lead.
That was all from Kvitova as Pegula won the next six games to complete a straight-set win in style. “I just told myself not to get frustrated,” Pegula said of being 0-2 down in the second set. “I wanted to stay committed to hitting my spots and was able to work my way back”. Swiatek owns a 2-1 head-to-head versus Pegula.
