Swiatek stays on course for title with win over Noskova
The Peninsula
Doha, Qatar: Title favourite Iga Swiatek continued her dominance at the Qatar TotalEnergies Open yesterday when she battled past Czech rising star Lin...
Doha, Qatar: Title-favourite Iga Swiatek continued her dominance at the Qatar TotalEnergies Open yesterday when she battled past Czech rising star Linda Noskova to book a quarter-final meeting with last year’s runner-up Elena Rybakina.
Noskova stunned the spectators by making the three-time defending champion drop a set at the Khalifa International Tennis and Squash Complex for the first time since 2022 before the Polish star recovered to secure a 6-7 (1/7), 6-4, 6-4 win. The victory stretched her winning run to 14 matches in the prestigious tournament.
“She served incredibly well, which put a lot of pressure on me whenever I had opportunities,” Swiatek said after the match.
“I’m glad I managed to keep my intensity high in the second and third sets and took advantage when I could,” the former World No.1 said.
On how she turned things around after dropping the first set, Swiatek said: “Momentum can shift quickly, and you need to remember that opponents won’t necessarily keep that top level the entire match. I’ve had matches where I played nearly perfectly, but it’s tough to sustain. I was hoping I’d get more chances later, and I did - so I just stayed ready.”
