Iga Swiatek jokes she ignored cheeky Frances Tiafoe request before US Open win
Iga Swiatek revealed that she may have gotten a request from Frances Tiafoe before her first match at the 2023 US Open. The 22-year-old began her title defense against Sweden’s Rebecca Peterson inside Arthur Ashe Stadium on Monday.
After emerging victorious, she jokingly said the 10th seed, who was due to play afterward, asked her to take her time. “Frances told me yesterday to not make it too quick because he wouldn’t have enough time to warm up,” the Polish star said, before adding: “I’m just kidding.”
Tiafoe’s wishes were in vain as the Swiatek took just 58 minutes to dispatch Peterson 6-0, 6-1. The top seed hit 20 winners to just two from her opponent and recorded her 18th bagel of the year in the process.
The victory marked Swiatek’s 16th consecutive straight-sets first-round win at a Grand Slam dating back to Wimbledon 2019. “I wanted to play solid and start the tournament with everything that I kinda focused on when I was practicing here for the whole week,” she added.
“So I’m happy that I could play such a great game and I just feel happy that I, with all the pressure and expectations, I can just have fun on court.” The 2023 edition of the U.S. Grand Slam marks Swiatek’s first time at Flushing Meadows as the defending champion and she’s fully aware it brings new pressures that she has not previously experienced in New York.
“Usually, this is, yeah, the case, that you have to just get used to everything, you know,” he said. “Sometimes you just feel a little bit more pressure because you’re, like, not into a rhythm yet and you just kind of have to, like you can get distracted more easily, I feel.
“I remember when I played my first matches in the US Open, I always felt like there is so much going on around, and it was a little bit tougher to focus. This year I didn’t feel it, because I practiced a couple of times on the center court. Even, you know, with all the kids around, because I think the entry was free and so many people came to watch our practices. It was amazing and I got used to the noise and everything.”
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Although Tiafoe may have entered Arthur Ashe Stadium earlier than he had hoped, he went on to record a 6-2, 7-5, 6-1 win over wildcard and US compatriot Learner Tien. The 25-year-old broke the lefty Tien’s serve seven times, hit 37 winners, and showcased some impressive skills around the net to advance after two hours and nine minutes.
Tiafoe, who made the semifinals in New York last year, will face Sebastian Ofner in Round 2. “I really love this court, I really enjoy playing here. It hasn’t been the best summer for me, but I love playing on this court,” he said post-match.
“I just want to come and do really well. The last time I played here was one of the toughest losses of my life. To come back out here and play as well as I did and take care of business is nice. I am leaving everything I’ve got. If I die out here, I die out here. I have to put it all on the line and hopefully, it is good enough.”
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