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Iga Swiatek reacted to breaking Chris Evert's record after defeating Jessica Pegula in the final of the 2023 Qatar Open to win her first title of the year.
After a bye in the first round, Iga Swiatek battled past Danielle Collins in the subsequent round in commanding fashion. She then advanced to the quarterfinals after receiving a walkover from Belinda Bencic. In the semifinals, the 21-year-old continued her dominant performance and defeated Veronika Kudermetova with a score of 6-0, 6-1.
Iga Swiatek's 6-3, 6-0 victory over Jessica Pegula in the final meant that she only conceded five games in the entirety of the tournament on her way to the title. This achievement broke the record held by Chris Evert for 40 years. Evert set the record by winning the title at the Swiss Open Women's Tennis tournament in Lugano while conceding only seven games in 1981.
When Swiatek was asked how much it meant for her to break the record, she replied that it meant a lot. She added that while breaking the record wasn't her foremost priority, she was glad that achievement showed her dominance over her opponents over the course of the tournament.
"Well, a lot, but on the other hand, when I was playing, I didn't really think about that (smiling). So it's not like I wanted to achieve that, but for sure it shows that I used my chances, all my chances that I had during this tournament to put pressure on my opponents and to break them," Swiatek said in the post-match interview.
The World No. 1 cheekily apologized to Chris Evert for toppling her from the top spot. She acknowledged that receiving a walkover from Belinda Bencic made breaking the record easier for her. However, she said that she was still very proud of herself for the achievement.
"So I'm just happy that I was so efficient. And, sorry, Chris. Yeah, well, it's also, you know, because basically I had a bye, and Belinda pulled out, so I had little bit easier situation to do it, but I'm still proud of it, so I'm happy," the World No. 1 added.
Iga Swiatek hopes for a speedy return for Ons Jabeur
Ons Jabeur was forced to pull out of the tournaments in Dubai and Doha due to a minor surgical procedure she had to undergo to regain her fitness.
"I will have to retire from Doha and Dubai and this is breaking my heart. I would like to say sorry to all the fans out there in the Middle East that waited for this reunion. I promise I will come back to you stronger and healthy," Jabeur wrote on Instagram.
When asked about the Tunisian, Iga Swiatek expressed her hope that she was recovering well and would be back on tour soon. She praised Jabeur's power and skill and said that she always enjoyed competing against her.
"Ons is the kind of player you always enjoy competing against, because like she has this energy and a lot of power and skill. I'm sure we're gonna have many matches this season, and I hope she's recovering well," Swiatek said.
Iga Swiatek and Ons Jabeur clashed in the 2022 US Open final where Swiatek pulled off a straight sets victory to lift her third Grand Slam trophy.
