Iga Swiatek says on paper it might look that that her run to the Madrid Open final has been a cakewalk but the reality is different as the world No. 1 admits there have been some “random thoughts” and internal battles she has fought throughout the tournament.
On Thursday, top-seeded Swiatek demolished 2017 US Open finalist Madison Keys 6-1 6-3 to safely progress into her second Madrid final. For Swiatek, it was her fourth straight-set win in Madrid this year, while her three-set quarterfinal win over Beatriz Haddad Maia remains the only match where she has dropped a set so far at Caja Magica.
Against 18th-seeded Keys, Swiatek delivered another impressive start as she made a lightning start and easily won the first set after breaking the American in the second and sixth games. In the second set, Swiatek again claimed two breaks as she broke Keys in the third and ninth games en route to completing her two-set win with just four games lost.
“In most of these matches you can see the result, but there is a lot beyond that to work on. I wouldn’t say it was easy because at the beginning I didn’t have much time to adapt to the conditions and that’s what I had to do during the tournament,” Swiatek said in her press conference following her Madrid semifinal win,…
