© Sarah Stier/ Getty Images
Iga Swiatek needed 80 minutes to push past Varvara Gracheva in their second-round match at the China Open on Tuesday. The no. 2 player in the world eventually prevailed 6-4, 6-1 over her opponent. Swiatek faced only break point throughout the match which she wasn’t able to save.
It came in the first set. For the match, Swiatek’s serve and return stats remained quite strong against her rival. The 22-year-old won 22 of 30 points played on her first serve and nine of 14 points played on her second serve.
On second-serve return, the four-time Grand Slam champion 19 of 29 points on return on Gracheva’s serve. Swiatek converted five of nine break points while winning 60 points for the match. Gracheva won 42 points. The upcoming third round match-up in the Chinese tournament will see a Polish derby between Swiatek and Magda Linette.
This will be the first time the two will be playing against each other.
China Open: Elena Rybakina marks one-way triumph
Elena Rybakina, who’s the fifth seed this week, posted a notable 7-5, 6-0 win over Tatjana Maria in their second-round match.
The Kazakh whose poor health forced her to miss the Tokyo Open last week was able…
