Iga Swiatek recalls "nightmare" Belinda Bencic memory ahead of United Cup clash
Iga Swiatek spearheaded a comprehensive Polish victory over Kazakhstan at the 2023 United Cup, winning the opening rubber against Yulia Putinseva. Her teammates then built on her early heroics to outclass their opponents 4-1 in the end, with Swiatek also partnering with Hubert Hurkacz to win the mixed doubles clash.
Both Swiatek and the Polish team, however, now have a tougher task at hand — finding a way past the mighty-looking Switzerland to book their spot in the knock-out rounds of the team competition. Pitted against familiar foe Belinda Bencic, Swiatek is looking forward to the challenge.
Speaking to media post the win over Kazakhstan, Swiatek recalled her 2021 US Open encounter against Bencic. Dubbing the opening set tiebreaker that she lost 14-12 a "nightmare", the World No. 1 remarked that it was one match that she would remember for the rest of her life.
"Well, playing against Belinda is always a challenge," Iga Swiatek said. "I think I will remember our tiebreaker in the US Open that lasted like 22 minutes for rest of my life as a nightmare."
Showering praise on her opponent, Swiatek said the Swiss' different style — her willingness to take the ball early in particular — made her an extremely difficult opponent to play against.
"No, I mean, she's such an experienced player," Iga Swiatek said. "And she has different game style than most of the girls. She's hitting the ball pretty early and you have to be ready for that, especially on a fast surface."
"So, yeah, I hope I'm gonna be able to use the experience that I have, and for sure we are going to prepare tactically. We'll see. It's the second match of the season, so you never know, but I'm gonna do everything to win," she added.
"I'm pretty happy to also practice with Hubi" - Iga Swiatek on playing mixed doubles at United Cup
Addressing her experience of sharing court with Hubert Hurkacz in the press conference, Iga Swiatek stated that she enjoyed playing with a different "rhythm," adding that her partner's power-packed game took a lot of pressure off her as well.
"I'm pretty happy that I have a chance to also practice with Hubi," Iga Swiatek said. "Because playing mixed doubles is so different rhythm, and I haven't been playing doubles the whole season basically last year, so I'm a little bit rusty."
"But, you know, having Hubi on my side, it's really helpful, and his game is so powerful that we can really put pressure on our opponents, and hopefully we will do that in future matches," she added.