"Has it been a year already?" - Iga Swiatek looks ahead to US Open title defense with World No. 1 spot on the line
World No. 1 Iga Swiatek has announced her return to the US Open in style, posting some glimpses of her training sessions on Twitter. Being the defending champion as well as the top seed in the competition, Swiatek will have a lot of eyes on her over the course of the next two weeks.
Swiatek downed Ons Jabeur in the final of the 2022 edition to win her maiden title at Flushing Meadows, which was her third Grand Slam title at the time. Since then, she's added one more French Open trophy to her name.
"Has it been a year already? Good to be back @usopen!", Swiatek posted.
Iga Swiatek will be under even more pressure in New York this fortnight, as the World No. 1 spot is on the line as well. The Pole has to win one more match than the second-ranked Aryna Sabalenka to maintain hold of the spot after the conclusion of the tournament.
Flashback to how Iga Swiatek won the US Open last year
On her way to the title last year, Iga Swiatek had to pass quite some crucial tests at the US Open. Swiatek started her campaign against Jasmine Paolini in the first round, winning the match easily in straight sets. She followed this up with a dominant performance against Sloane Stephens in the second round.
She won the match 6-3, 6-2 in straight sets, and in the following round, she ousted Lauren Davis comfortably with a 6-3, 6-4 victory.
At the Round of 16 matchup, she faced Jule Niemeier, and it was against the German that she dropped her first set in the US Open, eventually winning the match from a set down, 2-6, 6-4, 6-0. In the quarterfinals, she faced her first real task up against local girl Jessica Pegula, but prevailed in straight sets once more.
After that win, Swiatek set up a clash with Aryna Sabalenka, who managed to go a set up in the semifinals. However, the World No. 1 went through to the final after a dramatic comeback in the final two sets.
Iga Swiatek then beat Ons Jabeur to lift her second Grand Slam title of the year, following her French Open triumph earlier.