By Richard Pagliaro | @TennisNow | Thursday, February 20, 2025
Photo Credit: Robert Prange/Getty
Iga Swiatek found herself buried in the unforgiving sands of defeat today.
The 17-year-old sensation Mirra Andreeva unleashed an impressive display, firing 10 aces and finishing strong by winning the last five games. She stunned the second-seeded Swiatek with a commanding 6-3, 6-3 performance, propelling her into her first WTA 1000 semifinal at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships.
DISCOVER MORE: Andreeva Dominates Swiatek in Dubai
This setback follows a previous week where unseeded Jelena Ostapenko handed Swiatek a harsh defeat at 6-3, 6-1 in the Doha semifinals, ending her remarkable 15-match winning streak and her three-year tenure as champion in Doha.
When asked about the challenges of competing in consecutive WTA 1000 events, Swiatek noted that the rigorous physical demands and necessary adjustments on the court explain the trend of surprising results, like Andreeva’s triumph and WTA ace leader Clara Tauson surprisingly defeating world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka the day prior.
The current Roland Garros champion pointed out that the rigid tournament calendar is a key contributor to the growing number of upsets at this level of play.
“Definitely, it’s a calendar issue. Sustained consistency while playing week after week is a challenge,” Swiatek expressed to the media in Dubai. “Previously, players outside the top 20 often faced crushing defeats. Now, every competitor has the potential to clinch these titles. It’s been this way for a couple of years.”
“But I believe the current scheduling isn’t advantageous. We’re frequently transitioning between continents, surfaces, and types of balls – it’s a lot to manage, so these results aren’t surprising,” she added.
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Under the guidance of her coach Wim Fissette, Swiatek has been focusing on leveraging her agility and spin to outlast power hitters on the court. However, in her consecutive losses to Andreeva and Ostapenko, she struggled against their relentless down-the-line shots and found it difficult to regain control in both matches.
Known for her exceptional return game, Swiatek faced an impressive 10 aces today from Andreeva, who secured 12 of her final 13 service points, clinching victory in just one hour and 36 minutes.
Reflecting on her loss, Swiatek, currently ranked world No. 2, attributed today’s performance to inadequate practice time between the Australian Open and the Dubai tournament. “I’m typically not one to pinpoint issues directly, but I must attribute this performance to insufficient practice beforehand, as I simply didn’t have the time,” she confessed to the media in Dubai. “I’m disappointed with my results and feel I didn’t perform to my potential.”
“I need to sit down with my team and strategize our upcoming weeks more effectively since I haven’t had ample practice time ahead of these tournaments.”
