Iga Swiatek advanced in Ostrava after Ajla Tomljanovic retired from the match down 5-7 2-2 leaving her saddened by what had happened.
It was a very good match between Tomljanovic and Swiatke as they battled for nearly two hours and the match was far away from a conclusion. Tomljanovic, who is having a really good year, gave Swiatek quite a bit of trouble in this one as she faced the number one who was not playing at her peak.
Switek needed some time to find herself after not playing since her US Open triumph. She was glad to advance but she was disappointed in the way it happened:
“We played in Toronto and I saw in the US Open how well Ajla played, it seems she’s really on a roll and she’s playing better and better. It was a great match and it’s unfortunate that something happened, I hope she’s going to recover quickly. I’ve had a three-week break from playing matches, and after such an intense time it seems like a lot."
She added:
“I felt like I need to get back to the rhythm, and it wasn’t easy. I had a bye, and Ajla already played a few matches. So I felt like I need to catch up. But I’m pretty happy this match was so intense, because I feel like I had to go to another level and it’s going to prepare me for the next matches.”