"Her choices are like Ash Barty’s": Iga Swiatek adjusts to tricky opponent while maintaining historic win rate

Iga Swiatek continues breaking records and celebrating triumphs in her return to the courts, quickly leaving behind the early exit at the Australian Open. The six-time major champion rebuilds her confidence at one of the tournaments that suits her best: the Qatar Open, where she has won three titles and has returned. She debuted with a victory, this time against the young talent Janice Tjen.

The Pole didn’t have it easy against a tricky opponent, who, despite having little experience at the WTA level, had already dazzled with her first title back in 2025 and with a particular style of play – one that favours slices and slices over the power and speed of shots we usually see on the WTA Tour, something for which Swiatek arrived prepared.

“Today I needed to adjust to a different rhythm,” commented the Pole in the on-court interview after a convincing 6-0, 6-3 in her favour. “Her choices are like Ash Barty’s, so it was a nice flashback. But I kind of knew what to expect. I just went for my shots, and I was ready.”

Swiatek began the campaign in Doha opening the bakery, after delivering a new bagel. She now has 36 bagels in WTA 1000 tournaments, which puts her in a historic position as the fifth player with the most 6-0 sets in WTA 1000 main draws (formerly Tier I) since the format was introduced in 1990. At just 24 years old, she is quickly approaching the achievements of the greatest legends in these types of tournaments.

In the press conference, Swiatek was asked if she feels guilty after taking so many 6-0 sets so far. “I think when I was younger, I felt that way. But later on, you know, you just want to win it,” acknowledged the world No. 2. “It’s sports, so it doesn’t make sense to stop or play 80%. I’m here to perform my best. I also always felt it wouldn’t be respectful towards the opponent to give them something because we’re here to play our best. I always just try to focus on myself and that’s it.”

Swiatek’s achievements in WTA 1000 tournaments already place her among the historical greats, not just for her ability to win easily and deliver bagels consistently. The Pole also secured her 32nd consecutive opening match victory in a tournament of this category – positioning her second in the Open Era.

"It's always nice to start a tournament in a solid way and I'm ready for every match," Swiatek said when asked about this streak by the media in Doha. "I think that's the reason for that. I don't take anything for granted, so even first rounds or second rounds, I treat them as super important matches and as a challenge. So I'm ready for it from the beginning."

The last time Swiatek lost in an opening round in a WTA 1000 was back in the Cincinnati Open 2022, when she entered as the sixth seed but crashed early against Ons Jabeur in her debut. Since then, she has won the opening round in the next 32 appearances, claiming 10 titles and reaching at least the semifinals on 20 occasions. She is only behind Martina Hingis – who surpassed 40 consecutive opening match wins in WTA 1000 tournaments between 1996 and 2002.

Swiatek’s next challenge will be against the always tricky Daria Kasatkina, a respected Tour player with a long career maintaining herself among the world’s best (eight titles and 11 finals, plus three seasons ending inside the top-10).

However, the Australian has found it especially difficult when facing Swiatek. The head-to-head is led by the Pole 6-1, who didn’t concede more than three games in four of their last five encounters – the most recent being at the WTA Finals 2024, where Swiatek easily defeated ‘Dasha’ 6-1, 6-0.

"Honestly I try not to think about head-to-head because every match is a different story," Swiatek said regarding her next opponent. "She can come to the match feeling that she has nothing to lose. There are different ways the match can go, and I wouldn't say that focusing on the last results gives a lot. I'd rather stay ready for the challenge and not really think about the previous ones."