'Sometimes I felt like I was maybe going too much for it': Iga Swiatek survives amid early Anna Kalinskaya test with room to improve

World No. 1 Iga Swiatek produced a remarkable comeback to overcome Anna Kalinskaya 7-6(2), 6-4 in the opening round of the 2025 US Open. The Pole trailed 5-1 in the first set and faced four set points before turning the match on its head with a run of six games out of the next seven, eventually dominating the tie-break and holding firm in the second set.

Kalinskaya, who left the court in tears after the defeat at the US Open, had threatened to pull off one of the biggest shocks of the tournament before Swiatek’s resilience and problem-solving skills shone through under the lights of Arthur Ashe Stadium. But still as she spent most of the match analysing the issues surrounding her serve in particular, there is room to grow.

“Yeah, well, for sure it wasn't an easy match, especially after the beginning,” Swiatek reflected afterwards in her press conference. “I'm happy that I came back and started playing better, because I for sure did some mistakes in the beginning of the first set that I wish didn’t happen. But also Anna played great. So yeah, I'm happy that I came back and kept being positive, figuring things out and problem solving.”

The turning point came when Swiatek refused to surrender despite being a game away from losing the opener. “Honestly, I feel like I played good, but I did some mistakes when I wanted to kind of close the rally when the ball was easier,” she explained. “I played too long sometimes, so I knew that there’s not a lot I needed to change. But for sure, I wanted to keep the margins, to not make these unforced errors.

Finding the solution on the run

“I focused on two technical things that I figured out might help me, and it started being a bit better. I made less mistakes and also gave her a chance to make some mistakes, and then the set got tight. So I knew I could just fight for it when we were even with the score.”

The four-time Grand Slam champion said her composure was key to turning things around as Kalinskaya fell apart and Swiatek thrived. Albeit it is perhaps more of a too familiar tale for Kalinskaya who was spotted crying leaving the stadium knowing another big chance passed her by.

She beat Swiatek in Dubai last year but lost the final in Washington this year, Berlin last year and also against Swiatek recently in Cincinnati while in a rich vein of form so it is very much an issue of mentally blocking out the finishing line for the Russian. Something that Swiatek has not suffered with.

“Sometimes, and at some point today as well, I felt like I don’t know what to change. But then my team helped me a bit, and then you’re at a point where you just don’t have another choice. I don’t know, keep the margins and try to put one more ball in, maybe not go for the winner.

“So it’s not easy sometimes to find the solutions and to find the exact thing that will help you. But for sure, you need to have your mind open enough to think about what you can do. And today was a pretty good day in terms of that, because at 5-1 or something, it’s easy to panic—and I didn’t, so that’s good.”