A delighted Iga Swiatek says being given a surfboard is the ‘best prize’ she has ever received at a tournament after winning the San Diego Open.
The world No.1 ousted Croatian qualifier Donna Vekic 6-3, 3-6, 6-0, in what was at times a tricky encounter for the Pole. After dropping her serve midway through the second set, Swiatek battled back in the decider by impressively winning 23 out of the last 28 points played in the match. Overall, she won 74% of her service points against an in-form Vekic who had beaten two top 10 players earlier in the tournament before completing her rain-affected semi-final win over Danielle Collins just hours before the final on Sunday.
“I wanted to give it all-in, and knowing how Donna can serve I just wanted to more loosened up on my return games, and just not think – use my intuition a little bit and just fight for every ball,” Swiatek said.
“It was a really tight match and pretty long, I think both of us felt the intensity for sure, so at the end I wanted to really be the one who is going to play the last ball in. It happened a few times, so it gave me a little confidence.” She added.
It is the eighth time Swiatek has won a title this season which is more than double that of any other player on the WTA Tour. She has now won 64 matches in 2022 against just eight losses. This is the most wins achieved by a female player within the same season since Serena Williams in 2013, who won 78 matches.
Despite winning $116,340 in prize money, the three-time Grand Slam champion appeared to be more excited about being given a surfboard by tournament organizers. During the trophy ceremony, Swiatek was seen standing on the surfboard whilst having her photo taken by the media.
“This is the best prize/trophy ever! Thank you San Diego for an amazing (cloudy) week and this unique vibe. I love it here.” She wrote on Twitter.
Swiatek has decided not to play at the Guadalajara Open this week, which is a WTA 1000 event. Instead, she will begin preparations for the prestigious WTA Finals in Dallas that starts on October 31st. She is bidding to become the second Polish woman to win the end-of-season title after Agnieszka Radwanska in 2015.
