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On Friday (18 August), Iga Swiatek doused the challenge of 2023 Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova in straight sets to reach the last four in Cincinnati. The Pole seems intent on fine-tuning her game ahead of her US Open title defense and has played some sharp tennis during this week.
Although Swiatek has had a good year by normal standards, she has failed to match the level she was playing at last year — which saw her win two Major titles and four WTA 1000 titles.
The 22-year-old hasn't won even a single WTA 1000 title in 2023, with her Roland Garros defense being her only big tournament triumph this season.
The World No. 1 would have fancied her chances to finally triumph at the WTA 1000 level in 2023, as she navigated through the quarters to reach the last four in Montreal. Her campaign, however, had an unceremonious end as she lost to fourth-seeded Jessica Pegula in the semifinals in three comprehensive sets.
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In that context, former American tennis players Jan-Michael Gambill and Leif Shiras analyzed Swiatek's chances of defending her Flushing Meadows title on the Tennis Channel Inside-In podcast.
Gambill, who was once ranked as high as No. 14 in the world, was confident about the Pole's chances to defend her US Open title, claiming that she was still "the player to beat" on the women's tour.
"In the end, Iga Swiatek is still the player to beat. She knows that, and I think she rises to the occasion really well," he remarked.
The American added that the 22-year-old's technical aptitude and big-match play ensured that there wasn't much for her to worry about, despite her loss in the semifinals in Montreal last week.
"The foundation's there and you know Iga Swiatek is going to rise to the biggest moments" - Jan-Michael Gambill
During the podcast, Gambill also highlighted Iga Swiatek's forehand while rating her prospects at the New York Slam.
"For Iga, it was a tough loss to Pegula, but still the foundation's there and you know she is going to rise to the biggest moments, yeah. She's got the highest forehand out of any others, and that is going to bode well in New York, and beyond," he added.
Iga Swiatek will next take on World No. 7 Coco Gauff for a place in the Cincinnati final. The 4-time Major winner has defeated Gauff seven times on the WTA tour thus far.
The two met in the French Open final last year, where Swiatek beat the American for the loss of four games to clinch a career-second Major title. She also beat her this year in Paris and has never dropped a set against her in their meetings on the Hologic WTA tour.
