Iga Swiatek scores 60th win of the year to reach Ostrava final, Krejcikova up next

World No. 1 Iga Swiatek got some revenge on Ekaterina Alexandrova in Ostrava today, avenging a loss in the pair’s only previous meeting with a hard-fought 7-6 (5), 2-6, 6-4 win over the No. 21-ranked Russian in the semifinals of the WTA 500 event.

It was Swiatek’s 60th win of the year, the most wins in a year by any woman since Caroline Wozniacki recorded exactly 60 wins in 2017.

“It was super tough,” Swiatek said after the two-hour, 37-minute victory. “I think we can feel that it’s the end of the season—in the second set I lacked energy for sure.”

There was one big factor Swiatek pointed to in her victory, though: the crowd.

“I know I say this every day, but thank you guys for keeping me alive,” she said to the fans in her on-court interview. “I’m happy I could raise my level again in the third set.”

After sneaking out the first set in a tie-break, Swiatek watched on as Alexandrova caught fire, racing out to a 5-0 lead in the second set. Swiatek started building her comeback from there, getting two more games on the board before dropping that set, and by the time the third set started she had found her momentum again.

Alexandrova had won the pair’s only previous meeting, 6-4, 6-2, in Melbourne in 2021, one of the lead-up events to the Australian Open that was held at the same venue.

And Alexandrova actually finished this match with positive numbers—34 winners to 33 unforced errors, compared to 25 winners to 32 unforced errors for Swiatek. The Russian also won more points in the match, 102 to 100—but Swiatek won the points that mattered most and is now through to her eighth final of the year, going 7-0 in her first seven at Doha, Indian Wells, Miami, Stuttgart, Rome, Roland Garros and the US Open.

She was asked about her perfect record in finals this year.

“It’s sports, anything can happen,” she said. “I’m just going to try and prepare like I do any other match, use my experience—Barbora has huge experience as well, so we’re going to see what kind of tennis we’re going to bring tomorrow.

“I’m really looking forward to it.”

Up next for the current No. 1 is former No. 2 Barbora Krejcikova, who also survived a battle in her semifinal, edging Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina, 3-6, 7-6 (4), 6-4.

Swiatek is 2-0 against Krejcikova, but that could easily be 1-1—the Pole won their first meeting fairly routinely in Miami last year, 6-4, 6-2, but a few months later had to battle back from two match points down to win in Rome, 3-6, 7-6 (5), 7-5.

A few weeks later, Krejcikova would win Roland Garros.

This year's Ostrava final is actually going to feature the two women who’ve dominated Roland Garros over the last three years, with Swiatek lifting the Coupe Suzanne Lenglen in 2020, Krejcikova in 2021 and Swiatek again in 2022.

If Swiatek nets her 61st win of the year on Sunday, it’ll be the most wins in a year by any woman since Angelique Kerber won 63 matches in 2016.