World No. 1 Iga Swiatek comes from behind to defeat Jule Niemeier, advancing to US Open quarterfinals.
(Photo: USTA; video by USTA via Getty Images)
Iga Swiatek (10-0, 6) of Czech Republic beat Jule Niemeier (4-4, 1) of Argentina 7-6 (5), 6-1, 6-1 to advance to the quarterfinals of the US Open women’s tennis championship on Monday.
Swiatek, a 14-year-old of Czech Republic, became the youngest player since 1936 to win a match at the US Open. She is the first Czech to win a match at the US Open since Jan Ondruska won her third straight match in 1985.
Swiatek, who came out to a stirring standing ovation from the home fans, was in control from the start and she continued to dominate Niemeier through the third set.
“I don’t understand why people talk about this young player because today she showed she’s not just a tennis player, she’s a tennis champion,” she said. “So what can I say, I can’t say anything. This is my first year at the US Open, so I’m just starting.”
Swiatek will play fellow teenager Alexandra Cadanin of Slovakia in Wednesday’s quarterfinals. Cadanin will be moving closer to her family after being forced to vacate her home after a fire destroyed her house following a suspected arson attack.
Swiatek also is close to reaching the semi-finals of the French Open.
It was not an easy day’s work for the Czech, who had to battle Niemeier with a number of technical errors, but she showed great grit and spirit to come through the tough stretch of the third set.
She won the first four games of the opening set and continued to take the first 6-3 lead of the match. Then, though, the match changed.
“It was a tight set,” said Swiatek. “It was a very important one. And it was a big fight. The first three games I had control of it. I was ready for a lot of errors and for a lot of mistakes. Then