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Tennis fans were thrilled as Iga Swiatek advanced to her first grasscourt semifinals at the 2023 Bad Homburg Open.
Swiatek defeated Anna Blinkova 6-3, 6-2 in the quarterfinals of the Bad Homburg Open. The Pole is playing her first tournament since her triumphant title defense at Roland Garros and she extended her ongoing winning streak to 10 matches.
In her opening match, the World No. 1 encountered a minor setback, dropping the first set against Tatjana Maria. However, since then, has lost just 11 games across six sets since.
It was Iga Swiatek's first encounter with the Russian. She concluded the 72-minute match with a clean performance, delivering 24 winners while committing only seven unforced errors. In contrast, Blinkova managed to produce only seven winners to 13 unforced errors.
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Fans were overjoyed to witness the four-time Grand Slam champion find her footing and adapt to the grass surface. They took to social media to express their elation.
Journalist Ben Rothenberg expressed that Swiatek's growing comfort on grass has the potential of having a game-changing impact on women's tennis.
"Iga Swiatek getting comfortable on the grass is a potential game changer for women’s tennis…" Rothenberg tweeted.
A fan stated that the World No. 1 is so exceptionally skilled in her game, that she could excel on the moon or Mars if she so desired.
"Iga could play well on the moon or mars if she wants too! Really depends on her," the fan tweeted.
Here are a few more reactions:
"I'm making progress and that's the most important thing for me" - Iga Swiatek
Following her win over Anna Blinkova, Iga Swiatek gave her thoughts on the match. She expressed her delight in being able to play good tennis and said that she was happy to have utilized her time effectively playing and practicing on the grass between Roland Garros and Wimbledon.
"I'm happy that I can play such solid tennis. Usually, there's not much time to practice on grass so I'm pretty happy that I used that time 100 percent between Roland Garros and Wimbledon," Swiatek said.
The World No. 1 acknowledged that she does not consider herself an expert on grass, but stated that she was happy with her significant progress. She expressed gratitude for the experience gained from participating in the Bad Homburg Open, which greatly contributed to her development on the grass surface.
"I wouldn't put myself close to being an expert on grass, but I'm making progress and that's the most important thing for me," Swiatek stated. "The time here really helped me. Every year I feel like it's easier to get used to the conditions."
Iga Swiatek will next face World No. 65 Lucia Bronzetti in the semifinals on Friday, June 30.
