The leader in the world rankings in tennis Iga Swiatek (Poland) qualified for the quarterfinals of the WTA 500 San Diego Open with a prize fund of 757,900 USD. The Polish player defeated China’s Qinwen Zheng by 2-1 (6:4, 4:6, 6:1) after 2:20 hours.
Iga Swiatek took the first set with a single break in the ninth game and in the same game of the second set she missed five break points and then world’s No 28 Qinwen Zheng took the advantage to break the serve of her opponent. In the third set, Iga Swiatek dominated and with a series of five games in a row reached success.
In doing so, she recorded her 61st win of the season and advanced to her 12th quarterfinal of the year, leading the WTA Tour in both metrics.
“Qinwen Zheng has a different style of play. She hits her forehand with a lot of topspin and the ball bounces quite high. That’s why I needed time to adapt today as well. In general, every first match in a tournament is difficult because you have to get used to the conditions”, commented the Polish tennis player.
Iga Swiatek’s next opponent will be Cori Coco Gauff in a repeat of the Roland Garros final.
The Pole has already recorded three match wins against Cori Coco Gauff without dropping a set on the season, and in 2022 at the US tournaments, she has already won titles in Indian Wells Open, Miami Open, and the US Open, making it 21 wins in 22 matches.
Cori Coco Gauff had a tough, physical second-round match against Canada’s Bianca Andreescu, and won by 2-1 (6:4, 4:6, 6:3) after two and a half hours. The American was in a difficult situation at 0:2 and 15:40 on her own serve in the third set but managed to reverse against 2019 US Open champion Andreescu.
