Iga Swiatek said she was feeling low in energy following her exit from the Western and Southern Open on Saturday.
The world No.1 was ousted 7-6(2), 3-6, 6-4, by Coco Gauff who she had previously never lost to on the Tour. Swiatek boasted a comprehensive 7-0 head-to-head record against the American heading into this week’s Cincinnati tournament and had never lost a set against her. It is the second WTA event in a row where the Pole has lost in the semi-finals after being beaten by Jessica Pegula at the Canadian Open a week ago.
Despite her latest loss, Swiatek sees a silver lining to the outcome with it giving her more time to rest ahead of the US Open where she is the defending champion. She is bidding to become the first woman to win back-to-back titles at Flushing Meadows since Serena Williams in 2014.
“I would say my tank of fuel is pretty empty. Honestly, I’m not even going to kind of regret a lot because I’m happy that I’m going to have days off now,” said Swiatek who has played 13 matches across two continents over the past month.
“Coco played great tennis. I think her first serve was better than most of the matches we played against each other, it was faster. She played more in (the court), even though she’s risking with that speed.”
“I thought technically I did everything right. I was kind of surprised that I missed a couple of shots. But it happens. She really played a good match, so… It wasn’t easy.”
Swiatek has won four titles so far this season which is more than any other player on the WTA Tour. She has won 53 matches which is almost 20 more than Gauff (36) who will play Karolina Muchova in the Cincinnati final on Sunday.
Despite her success on the Tour, Swiatek is taking nothing for granted heading into New York. This year is her fifth main draw appearance at the US Open where she has won 13 out of 16 main draw matches played.
“I haven’t really been thinking about that,” she replied when asked about her upcoming title defence.
“I was just focused on this tournament. I know from my experience that being a defending champion is not easy.’
“I’m going to kind of take it easy on myself and just try to do everything step by step.’
“Last year’s tournament was also really tough. I could have been out in the fourth round. So I’ll just fight and I’ll see how it’s going to go.”
Swiatek will find out who her first opponent at the US Open will be on Thursday when the singles draw takes place.
