The US Open saw a familiar force advance on Saturday. Iga Swiatek, the world’s second-ranked tennis star, pushed past Russia’s Anna Kalinskaya in New York. The win secures her spot in the tournament’s Round of 16.
It wasn’t a walk in the park for Swiatek. She spent nearly two hours on the court, needing one hour and 56 minutes to be exact. Kalinskaya, ranked 29th, made her earn every point. The final score was 7-6. Swiatek dominated the tie-break, winning it 7-2. She then closed out the match with a 6-4 victory in the second set.
These two had met before. Just two weeks earlier, they faced off in Cincinnati, United States. That was in the quarterfinals of the WTA 1000 tournament. Swiatek took that match too, eventually winning the entire Cincinnati event. Kalinskaya clearly came ready for revenge, but couldn’t quite turn the tables.
Looking ahead, Swiatek faces another Russian challenge. Her next opponent will be Ekaterina Alexandrova, ranked 12th in the world. This promises another stern test for the Polish star as she aims for a deep tournament run.