"It's not like I'm doing it on purpose, but for sure if the match is going to be longer, it's going to go on my advantage"- Iga Swiatek on her ability to battle through tough matches
World No. 4 Iga Swiatek was once again taken the distance at Indian Wells, this time by Angelique Kerber in their fourth-round clash on Tuesday. The Pole dropped the first set, but clawed her way back and won the next two sets to advance to the quarterfinals.
Iga Swiatek has made a habit of playing long matches of late; she has dropped the opening set in each of her three encounters so far at the BNP Paribas Open, but has staged an incredible fightback on each occasion to emerge victorious.
Speaking to the media after her win against Kerber, Swiatek said she did not enjoy being involved in grueling three-set affairs all the time. But she admitted that her self-belief and fitness tend to give her the edge the longer a match goes on.
"Right now when I won so many of these matches, it's not that hard because I just keep believing. I know that physically I'm really well-prepared. For sure if the match is going to be longer, it's going to go on my advantage. Yeah, today before the match I talked with my team, I was like, I don't want to lose the first set again because it's getting pretty boring," Iga Swiatek said.
"I mean, it doesn't really matter. You try to restart and kind of start from the beginning. Obviously you learn from that first set and you can use that. I think I'm doing that pretty well. But for sure my goal is to win every set. On my next match, I'm going to be ready to win that first one. It's not like I'm doing it on purpose," the Pole added.
Iga Swiatek will face Madison Keys in the quarterfinals
After overcoming Kerber, Iga Swiatek will face 25th seed Madison Keys in the quarterfinals at Indian Wells. The American reached her first WTA 1000 quarterfinal in over two years after beating Harriet Dart 6-1, 6-4.
Great eight 🎱
@Madison_Keys takes care of business against qualifier Dart 6-1, 6-4 to set a quarterfinal date with Swiatek
#IndianWells https://t.co/O0KU5fIkTB
This will be the second meeting between Swiatek and Keys. The two players locked horns in Rome last year, with the Pole emerging victorious.
Swiatek believes Keys' serve could cause some problems in their upcoming matchup.
"I remember she can play really flat and really fast, but on the other hand she has a great serve and she uses her height, and she can play a great kick," the Pole said. "I don't know really honestly. I just came off my fourth round match and I'm going to be preparing for that in the evening. Again, it's going to be a match against a really experienced player who has played so many times here. I got to be ready for everything."