Flying into the next round ✈️ @iga_swiatek defeats Cirstea in straight sets and the defending champion kicks off her campaign in Doha! #QatarTotalEnergiesOpen
Back with a bang: Iga SWIATEK hardly gives Sorana CIRSTEA a chance as Qatar Open title defence begins
WTAMonday, 12 February 2024 at 19:42
After a poor Australian Open, Iga Swiatek's return to action was a curious one as the World No.1 started her Qatar Open title defence. But in reality, it was the prolific Pole at her finest as she barely gave Sorana Cirstea a chance in Doha.
A 6-1, 6-1 win for Swiatek with Cirstea who is on the verge of returning to the top 20 and a career high and also reaching the latter stages in Abu Dhabi last week not playing poorly despite what the scoreline dictates, but it was near flawless from Swiatek.
Swiatek cruised in the opening set in particular losing only four points in total. On Cirstea's serve, Swiatek was utterly rampant on the second serve. The second set despite the scoreline was more competitive as Cirstea competed in the rallies serving better. But she couldn't find a route past Swiatek who just ground her down.
It also didn't feature the usual wobble for Swiatek as of late at the start of the match with her level superb throughout which is an ominous sign for the rest of the field. Swiatek outhit Cirstea to perfection and lost only four points on her serve again to win it 6-1. Having not played since the Australian Open and having somewhat modest expectations, the understated queen of women's tennis has sent out a statement to begin her quest for another title in Doha.
Next will be Erika Andreeva or Ekaterina Alexandrova, either of which will have to watch out by the looks of things as Cirstea leaves Doha wondering how she could've solved the Swiatek puzzle.
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