From shaky to stellar: Iga Swiatek overcomes inconsistency for the win against Kalinskaya

Iga Swiatek won a rollercoaster match against Anna Kalinskaya, coming back from being two breaks down in the first set to secure a 7-6(2), 6-4 victory and advance to the fourth round of the US Open. The world No. 2 earned her 10th consecutive win at a Grand Slam, and despite her errors, she ultimately dominated to take the win.

The 6-time major champion struggled to secure the victory in a match where she was on the brink of defeat in the first set, coming back from a double-break deficit and saving two set points. The former world No. 1 continues her run at the US Open and has reached the fourth round for the fifth consecutive season. This also marks the 20th time in her career that she has advanced to the round of 16 at a Grand Slam.

At the start of the match, Swiatek looked to be in great form, easily winning her first service game and then getting a couple of early break opportunities to take a quick lead. However, she couldn't convert them due to her own errors, and Kalinskaya found her rhythm. Swiatek's loss of confidence was evident as she made a series of unforced errors that cost her two breaks. In fact, in both instances, it was double faults that gifted the game to her opponent. Kalinskaya had a chance to close out the set on her serve at 5-2, but Swiatek fought back to save four set points and extend the set.

The Polish player seemed to be staging a comeback when she got her second consecutive break and tied the score at 5-5. This time, Kalinskaya was the one struggling with double faults. However, there was one last twist in the set: a couple of good backhand returns gave Kalinskaya her third opportunity to close out the set on her serve, but once again, Swiatek broke back, sending everything to a tiebreak. This time, the world No. 2's poise was clear. She took control of the tiebreak from the start, closing out the set 7-6(2) after a remarkable comeback that included three consecutive breaks and saving four set points.

Neither player was particularly consistent on serve. The Pole only got 37% of her first serves in throughout the set, while the Russian (with 60% of first serves in) committed a total of 7 double faults, many of them at key moments. The two players combined for 43 unforced errors.

The start of the second set followed the same pattern as the first, with both players making errors on serve and trading a couple of breaks: Swiatek started with the advantage, and Kalinskaya broke right back to even the score. Both players then managed to stabilize their serves, looking confident for the first time in the match and maintaining the tension for several minutes as the parity held.

The score reached 4-4, and that's when the Pole used the pressure to bring out her best tennis. After a couple of long rallies, Swiatek got a few break opportunities and finally took the lead. The 2022 US Open champion then had to serve for the win, and she did, securing a 7-6(2), 6-4 victory.

Swiatek has now earned her spot in the Round of 16, where she will face Russian Ekaterina Alexandrova (13th seed), who is coming off a dominant 6-0, 6-1 win over Laura Siegemund and has advanced by dropping only a handful of games so far this tournament.