US Open: Fiona Ferro wins over Iga Swiatek in just over two hours
Perhaps it’s worth asking the ladies of the court what books are on their bedside tables, given that what they read dictates the mood and, more importantly, plays at the US Open.
Iga Swiatek, the stylish seventh seed, one of 11 Grand Slam champions to have contested the second round, rallied to put out France’s Fiona Ferro 3-6, 7-6 (3), 6-0 in just over two hours.
The 20-year-old dropped a mere seven points in the decider which followed a 67-minute second set, where she struggled to stay ahead, stirring images of a reckless highway chase. Swiatek, of the smooth shots, was all nerves and exaggerated movement as she fought to keep it together when her opponent levelled at 4-all in the second set. The Pole, who plays Estonia’s Anett Kontaveit next, likes to keep it short and sharp on the court, but her reading choices reflect lengthy. And intense.
Her most recent conquest being the American classic — Margret Mitchell’s 1000-plus pages of ‘Gone With The Wind’ which she took three weeks to finish, reading late into the night. Swiatek, who completed the novel on Wednesday, weeping over the finish line — as Hurricane Ida ripped through New York City flooding her streets and subways —carried those emotions on to court.
“I love it. Suddenly I’m feeling like I’m in 19th century,” Swiatek said, attributing her slow start to the match to her mood, so much so that she’s pressing the pause button on her reading for the fortnight.“
Like emotionally, I’m still in ‘Gone With the Wind’,” she confessed.
Sania-Vandeweghe pair crashes out
Sania Mirza and American CoCo Vandeweghe, wildcard entrants in the women’s doubles, went down 6-4, 4-6, 3-6 to 12th seeds Nadiia Kichenok of Ukraine and Raluca Olaru of Romania in a first-round clash of lost opportunities. Both pairs gave themselves six chances each on their opponent’s serves, Kichenok and Olaru clinched four which was two more than the Indo-American combine which, simply put, reflected in the scoreline.
