Tennis player Swiatek manages to advance past Kalinskaya's potentially alarming challenge, entering the US Open's round of 16.
Iga Swiatek, the world number two, faced a challenging match against Russian 29th seed Anna Kalinskaya at the US Open on Saturday. Swiatek, who has reached the last 16 in New York for the fifth year in succession, was not defeated in the third round.
The match, which took place at Arthur Ashe Stadium in New York, was a scrappy, error-strewn contest with nine breaks and 67 unforced errors combined. Swiatek found herself trailing 5-1 in the first set, but she displayed mental fortitude, serving up a masterclass to come back from behind.
Swiatek saved four set points in the first set, and her focus on keeping the margins to avoid making unforced errors paid off. She dominated the tiebreak, winning it 7-2. Swiatek revealed she focused on two technical things to help her during the match, and the tactical adjustments mid-match seemed to improve her performance.
Kalinskaya threatened to repeat her upset victory over Swiatek from Dubai last year, but Swiatek's 20th major match win of the season was not to be denied. Swiatek broke late in the second set to secure her 20th major match win of the season, equalling the record held by defending champion and world number one Aryna Sabalenka.
Swiatek won the match with a score of 7-6(2) 6-4, and she will face 13th seed Ekaterina Alexandrova in the last 16 of the US Open. Swiatek has been far from her sharpest in the tournament so far, but her mental strength and resilience have once again shone through. As the tournament progresses, Swiatek will be a formidable opponent for any player who faces her.
