Iga Swiatek made quick work of Japanese qualifier Ena Shibahara in a 6-0, 6-1 victory in the second round on Thursday, underscoring her title credentials at the U.S. Open.
Despite a slight scare in the first round, where Swiatek committed several unforced errors before securing a hard-fought victory over Russian Kamilla Rakhimova, she was clinical against Shibahara, swatting her Japanese opponent aside in just over an hour.
\"I'm playing, you know, not overpowering (tennis), but trying to be really solid and picking the right shots and being proactive. I'm happy with everything,\" Swiatek said in her on-court interview. \"I just felt the rhythm much better. I was a bit tense in my last match, so today I just wanted to focus on the right things and focus on myself.\"
The Pole served with real accuracy in the first set, winning 89 percent of points on her first serve and converting three out of four break point opportunities to race into the lead against a frustrated Shibahara, who struggled to find answers.
Japan's Shibahara, ranked outside the top 200 and appearing in her first singles Grand Slam main draw, attempted a comeback in the second set, defending three break points in a marathon service game to hold for 1-1 and avoid the dreaded 'double bagel'.
However, that was the extent of her resistance, as Swiatek won the next five games in a row to clinch the victory.
Swiatek focused on blocking out the scoreline and maintaining her best level throughout the match. \"I just wanted to focus on technicalities and what I practiced yesterday on and trying to convert it to my match. Sometimes when the match goes pretty quick, your mind can drift off and you feel too safe,\" the 23-year-old added. \"I was just trying to stay in the zone and it didn't matter to me if she was 3-0 or 6-0, it doesn't really matter. I just want to play and keep playing the same way.\"
Swiatek, who has now won the third of her five Grand Slams at Flushing Meadows, is set to face either Russian Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova or Italy's Elisabetta Cocciaretto in the third round.
In other news, Wang Xinyu of China was defeated by Yulia Putintseva of Kazakhstan with a score of 1-6, 6(4)-7 on Thursday, ending her run in the tournament.
Reference(s):
Clinical Swiatek cruises past qualifier Shibahara to reach third round
cgtn.com
