Iga Swiatek enjoyed competing in Doha with “lowered expectations” and noted she will try to keep that attitude and approach going forward. In Australia, Swiatek didn’t look like her usual self and afterward blamed the wrong approach.
This past week in Doha, Swiatek returned to action and ended up winning her first title of the year. “Yeah, but it also kind of happens because I managed to lower the expectations, and I told myself before every match that the conditions are tricky, the tournament is so packed that I don’t have to expect from myself that I’m gonna, you know, play magnificent tennis.
But then, I don’t know, I felt better and better on court. I didn’t really come back to these thoughts. I just, I don’t know, really enjoyed playing. Every game I was really focused, and that’s the thing I’m most happy about, because at the beginning of the season I felt like my mind was kind of flying away sometimes,” Swiatek said, per Sportskeeda.
Swiatek: Hopefully I’ll continue this way
“I’m happy that I’m at that state right now, and hopefully I’m going to continue doing that. But you never know. So I’m going to keep my expectations low still,” Swiatek added. In Doha, Swiatek looked like the player who dominated last year.
After a first-round bye in Doha, Swiatek ousted Danielle Collins 6-0 6-1. In the Doha quarterfinal, Swiatek was scheduled to play Belinda Bencic but the Swiss gave her a walkover. On Friday, Swiatek dismantled Veronika Kudermetova 6-0 6-1 to progress into the final.
In the Doha final, Swiatek delivered another brutal performance as she dismantled Jessica Pegula 6-3 6-0. Now, Swiatek is competing at this week’s WTA event in Dubai. In Dubai, Swiatek is the top-seeded player and has a first-round bye. After a first-round bye, Swiatek plays Leylah Fernandez, who defeated Julia Grabher.
