NEW YORK — World No. 1 Iga Swiatek advanced to the third round of the US Open on Wednesday, but her 6-4, 6-3, 5-7, 6-3 victory over world number 66 Suzan Lamens of the Netherlands was anything but straightforward. The four-time French Open champion and recent Wimbledon winner was visibly frustrated throughout the two-hour and 44-minute contest, her trademark focus fraying against an opponent playing fearless, first-strike tennis on the grand stage of Louis Armstrong Stadium.
Swiatek, who has dominated the WTA Tour for much of the season, conceded in her post-match press conference that she struggled to find her rhythm. "I made some mistakes, for sure, that I shouldn't have made," she stated, acknowledging the uncharacteristic errors that crept into her game. "I was kind of surprised with some of her decisions and some of the shots she played. It wasn't easy to find the proper rhythm."
A Battle of Patience and Power
The match began on a familiar note, with Swiatek breaking Lamens' serve early to take a commanding 4-1 lead in the first set. However, the 24-year-old Dutch qualifier, playing in her first US Open main draw, refused to be intimidated. Utilizing a flat, powerful forehand and frequently charging the net, Lamens disrupted Swiatek’s baseline rhythm and forced the top seed into uncomfortable positions.
Swiatek’s frustration became apparent in the second set. After a missed backhand, she slammed her racket into the court, a rare show of emotion from the typically composed Pole. While she managed to close out the set, the cracks were showing. The third set was a dramatic departure from the script, as Lamens’ aggressive tactics finally paid off.
Facing a 0-40 deficit on her own serve at 4-4, Lamens unleashed a series of winners to hold, a pivotal moment that shifted the momentum entirely. She broke Swiatek in the next game and, feeding off the energy of the crowd, served out the set to love, forcing a decider and handing Swiatek her first lost set of the tournament.
Regaining Composure Under Pressure
The fourth set was a test of Swiatek’s mental fortitude. After such a disheartening loss of the third set, a lesser player might have unraveled. But the 23-year-old Pole demonstrated why she has spent over 100 weeks at the top of the rankings. She immediately re-established her dominance, breaking Lamens’ serve in the opening game.
Swiatek’s key adjustments in the final set included:
- Hitting with more depth to push Lamens behind the baseline.
- Utilizing her heavy topspin forehand to neutralize Lamens' flat shots.
- Converting break points with more clinical precision (2 of 3 in the fourth set).
- Cutting down on the unforced errors that had plagued her earlier.
She never looked back from the early break, sealing the match with a powerful inside-out forehand winner, her 38th of the match, and let out a massive sigh of relief. The statistics told the story of a battle: Swiatek hit 44 winners to 38 unforced errors, while Lamens countered with 31 winners of her own but a costly 42 unforced errors.
A Learning Experience for the Top Seed
In her press conference, Swiatek was candid about the challenges she faced. She praised Lamens' unpredictable game but also took responsibility for her own performance. "For sure, the stress is a little bit bigger because US Open is the last Grand Slam of the season," she admitted.
She elaborated on the difficulty of facing an opponent with nothing to lose, a common challenge for top seeds in the early rounds. "Sometimes it's not easy to play such matches... when your opponent is really going for everything without any consequences." This type of match, while stressful, is often seen as a necessary test on the path to a deep tournament run.
Looking Ahead to the Next Challenge
The victory sets up a third-round clash with another unseeded player, Czech Republic’s Marie Bouzková. Bouzková, a former world No. 24 known for her gritty defensive skills and fighting spirit, presents a very different challenge from the power of Lamens.
Swiatek will undoubtedly look to clean up her game and reassert the dominant form that saw her capture titles in Madrid, Rome, Paris, and London this year. While the second-round struggle was unexpected, it served as a stark reminder that in the cauldron of a major tournament, nothing can be taken for granted.
As she put it herself, "I'm happy that I went through that and I could problem-solve a little bit better in the fourth set. I guess that's a positive thing I can take from that match." For the world's best player, a tough win can sometimes be more valuable than an easy one, providing a crucial lesson before the stakes become even higher.