Proving she never backs down without a fight, Iga Swiatek smashed the ball back and forth with fierce determination, bouncing back from a first-set deficit to defeat Ekaterina Alexandrova 7-6(7-3), 7-5 in the final in Seoul.
Alexandrova dominated the first set 6-1, as Swiatek struggled to find her game, but a few minutes later, the 24-year-old fought back hard, taking control to win the next two sets 7-6 (7-3) and 7-5.
After a tough two-and-a-half-hour battle, world No. 2 Swiatek claimed her third big title, adding to her wins at Wimbledon and the Cincinnati Open as she was crowned the Korea Open Champion.
Informing the media after the match that this victory means a lot to her family, as her dad did not win a medal back in 1988 with the Polish rowing team at the Olympics in South Korea.
“I’m happy that I could win here because of the family history.
“My dad couldn’t win the Olympics, but at least I won this tournament, so hopefully he’s going to come here next year to enjoy everything.
“Honestly, I don’t know how I won it, because you were just playing great. I just tried to stay alive.
“Hopefully, we’re going to play more finals. It’s always tough against you, so it’s also entertaining.”
Swiatek just needs to keep her fingers crossed, play her best, and win matches to move up to the world No. 1 ranking and dethrone Aryna Sabalenka. Sabalenka currently has 11,225 points, while Swiatek has 8,433.
The Polish tennis star has three more tournaments left for the rest of the year. First is the China Open, taking place from September 24 to October 5, where she won the title in 2023.
Next is the Wuhan Open, from October 6 to 12, which will be her first time playing in the tournament. Ending with her competing in the WTA Finals, scheduled from November 1 to 8.
