Looking for her ninth singles title of the season, Iga Swiatek started her WTA Finals campaign on a winning note by beating Daria Kasatkina 6-2, 6-3 in one hour and 22 minutes.
It was the sixth time that the two players came face-to-face and the World No. 1 extended her head-to-head lead against the Russian to 5-1. While eighth-ranked Kasatikina won the first match last year, Swiatek registered five consecutive straight-set wins against her this season. The 21-year-old Pole also improved her win-loss record for the magnificent season to 65-8.
During a discussion on Tennis Channel after the match, former player Chanda Rubin inquired if Swiatek had a particular strategy while serving yesterday. The three-time Grand Slam champion couldn't help but bring up the name of the player with the best serve in tennis — John Isner. She stated that unlike the American, she was not able to accumulate points just with her serve.
"Honestly, I'm always thinking about the same stuff and its technique. It's not like I have some extra tactics. I just really want myself to be solid and I know I'm not that kind of a player who's going to make points just from serving, you know, I'm not [John] Isner. But I know that I can open up the court and play a good rally and then finish on the baseline. So it's not like I'm focusing a lot of serve," Iga Swiatek said.
Over two sets, Swiatek broke her opponent thrice and held her serve throughout. The top-ranked player finished with 23 winners compared to just five from Kasatkina.
"I don't visualize myself with trophies" - Iga Swiatek
In a press conference after her first match of the WTA Finals, a relieved Iga Swiatek stated that she had come a long way from last year, with better control over her emotions and added skills to her game.
“Last year, I feel I struggled with problem solving,” Swiatek said. “This year, I feel I have much more control over my emotions in sometimes difficult moments. So it’s easier to think logically about what you want to change or what is the best option to win more points. Tennis-wise, I have more skills and more variety. I would say I’m getting to be a more grown-up player on the court.”
The Pole also added that although she generally visualized the technicalities of her game while playing, she never visualized winning her matches.
“Usually I’m using visualization when I feel like my technique is a little bit off. Honestly, I forgot to do that today. Usually, it's the technical stuff because I’m not the kind of person who will visualize myself with trophies," she added.
Swiatek's next opponent is Caroline Garcia of France.
