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Iga Swiatek seems to have found her rhythm again after her Australian Open loss; she put up a stunning performance at the recently concluded Qatar Open. But according to Jessica Pegula, the World No. 1 will be hard-pressed to repeat her form from 2022.
Pegula, who was at the receiving end of Swiatek's domination in the Doha final, agrees that the 21-year-old is still the player to beat this year. But given just how good she was last season, the American is not sure Swiatek can produce another 2022-like year.
The Pole notably ended the 2022 season with eight titles, and also recorded a 21st century-best 37-match winning streak.
Pegula was asked about Swiatek's dominance during the press conference after her 6-2, 5-7, 6-1 win over Viktoriya Tomova at the Dubai Tennis Championships. The World No. 3 admitted that Swiatek's form at the Qatar Open - where she broke the WTA record for fewest games (five) dropped en route to a title - certainly made it look like it was going to be her against the field in 2022 too.
However, Pegula also made it clear that the chances of the three-time Grand Slam champion recreating exactly what she did last year were slim.
"I think we'll find out. I think Doha is where [Iga Swiatek] started her really big run," Pegula said. "Obviously she's still playing at a very high level. She definitely loves playing in Doha, found her form there at a really, again, high level. So we'll see."
"I'm not saying [Iga Swiatek] can't do exactly what she did last year. I don't think anyone, at least I'm not expecting it because that was incredible. I'm sure she's still going to play some great tennis and she's definitely playing like a true No. 1, and she's the one to beat. I guess we'll see as the year unfolds where it goes."
The 28-year-old added that in recent times a lot of good players have cropped up who can challenge Swiatek's authority. Aryna Sabalenka, for instance, won her maiden Grand Slam title at the Australian Open at the start of the year.
"But I think there's a lot of players playing well. I know Aryna's confidence has got to be sky high. She had a great win today," Pegula said. "It will be interesting to see how, yeah, those storylines kind of shift going in throughout the year."
"I didn't really have much time to be upset" - Jessica Pegula on whether loss to Iga Swiatek last week weighed on her mind in Dubai
Jessica Pegula also revealed in the press conference that the loss to Iga Swiatek in the final of the Qatar Open wasn't weighing on her mind during her opener at the Dubai Tennis Championships. She joked that she did not have enough time to be upset.
Pegula was grateful for the very quick turnaround between Doha and Dubai too. She added that she did not feel "any kind of anger" when she took to the court again for the first time since the 3-6, 0-6 loss.
"I think last week I thought Iga Swiatek just played very well. Clearly, she's playing a really high level. So I wasn't trying to be too upset. I didn't really have much time to be upset. I had to have a quick turnaround anyway," Pegula said. "I think for me, at least this week, I don't think I took any kind of anger into that match today."
Up next, Pegula will take on Ana Bogdan in the Round of 16. Swiatek, meanwhile, is currently locked in battle with Leylah Fernandez in her Dubai opener.
