Iga Swiatek reached the third round of the 2023 BNP Paribas Open. The world number 1 eliminated the American Claire Liu 6-0 6-1 without problems. In the third round of the California tournament, Iga will face the 2019 Us Open champion, Bianca Andreescu.
Following the win against Liu, Swiatek explained: «Playing here again after the great result obtained last year is something new. I had the goal before the start of the tournament, to increase my energy level a bit through some specific training because that’s the hardest thing to do when everything goes well.
I was certainly very smart in paving the way for me apparently.. Claire actually used that moment where I didn’t play as aggressively as I should have and it goes to show that if I hadn’t put on the court early on, the energy that I put into the match would have been complicated and not a little bit.
Therefore, I am quite happy that we were able to close the match quickly.»
Iga Swiatek: «I feel the pressure»
Just by winning the last editions of the WTA 1000 in Indian Wells and Miami, Iga Swiatek reached the top of the world ranking for the first time in her career.
Looking down on everyone, however, comes with a lot more pressure. Swiatek, on the eve of Indian Wells, explained:: “I thought it was impossible to become number one. I exceeded all my expectations, everyone wants to be in this position.
But of course it comes with a lot of pressure. After Doha and Dubai, I felt good. I won a WTA 500 and made it to the final in 1000. People were shocked after my loss in the final. This made me think that only last year I would have been very happy with this result.
But reading all these comments, I felt like I hadn’t done enough. Each tournament has its own story. If I play well, my points increase. I am sure that I will not be able to defend all the points, but that does not mean that I will lose the lead. I always feel like I have a target on my back.
It’s a completely different situation and I still have to adjust. I try not to read too much news, I don’t want this to affect me. People’s attitudes towards me have changed, and I don’t think it’s a positive change. I have a lot more pressure, expectations are always high. I have to try to deal with them the best I can.»
