Before each day’s play at the BNP Paribas Open, we’ll preview three must-stream matches.
Iga Swiatek vs. Maria Sakkari
“I think in Doha, it was, for me, quite obvious why I lost,” Swiatek said this week about her defeat to Sakkari last month in Doha.
The most obvious reason was that, in one of the shocking finishes of the season so far, she let a 5-2 lead in the third slip away, against an opponent who hadn’t beaten her in more than four years. But the second most obvious reason was the number of unforced errors Iga threw in—38—including 16 from her usually steady backhand side.
Swiatek responded with drastic measures. She pulled out of Dubai and went to work on the practice court instead.
“Immediately I went off the court, I knew what to improve,” she said. “Technical-wise, I really didn’t prepare for some of the shots as I should. When we got back home, I really practiced hard.”
“I want to really use these practices for the match, and change that, and be better at that.”
