"Every loss was a tragedy for me; I don't feel that anymore" - Iga Swiatek on moving on from Jessica Pegula setback ahead of Cincinnati Open 3R

Iga Swiatek sailed past Danielle Collins in the third round of the 2023 Cincinnati Open on Wednesday, August 16.

With a 7-for-11 break-point conversion rate, the Pole conceded just one game before closing the match 6-0, 6-1 in 59 minutes.

The result comes in stark contrast to the duo's last encounter in the quarterfinals of the Canadian Open less than two weeks earlier where Swiatek won their three-set battle. Swiatek eventually fell to Jessica Pegula in the semifinals of the tournament in Montreal.

In a post-match interview by the Tennis Channel, the World No. 1 was asked how she processed losses, especially heading into the next tournament almost immediately.

"Honestly, with so many tournaments on tour, I always feel like I'm going to have a second chance and it's not like the world is ending. Earlier in my career every loss was a tragedy for me and I needed a couple of days to reset and find new goals," Iga Swiatek responded.

"Sometimes it motivated me but sometimes, when I felt like I'm giving my 100% and still lost, it really slowed me down a little bit. I don't feel like that anymore," she added.

Iga Swiatek continued being positive and added that although she lost in the semifinals of the Canadian Open, the result was still an improvement over her last year's Round of 16 exit.

"Also losing by not much [margin] like that, you have no regrets. When you know you did everything you could that day, it helps because you're going to be proud of yourself anyway. Montreal was much better than last year's tournament, so I'm still proud of myself," she added.

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Iga Swiatek to clash with Qinwen Zheng in 3R of Cincinnati Open

Iga Swiatek at the 2023 Poland Open

Iga Swiatek will square off against Qinwen Zheng in the third round of the 2023 Cincinnati Open on Thursday, August 17.

The top seed received a first-round bye and opened her campaign with a straight-set win over Danielle Collins in the second round.

Meanwhile, Zheng, ranked 24 in the world, started the tournament with a convincing 6-1, 6-4 victory over Aliaksandra Sasnovich in the opening round. She next clashed with seven-times Grand Slam champion Venus Williams in the second round. While Zheng could only hold on to one game in the first set, she quickly rallied back, turning the match around 1-6, 6-2, 6-1 in her favor.

The head-to-head between the two players stand at 3-0 in Swiatek's favor. They most recently faced each other on-court at this year's Stuttgart Open in the Round of 16.