World No.1 Iga Swiatek returns to the WTA tour at the Cincinnati Open. The Pole withdrew from the National Bank Open as it clashed with her busy schedule at the Paris Olympics.
All the medalists in Paris took a week off to recover from the chaotic schedule at the Olympic games. However, Swiatek is now back in action in Cincinnati, where she will face France’s Varvara Gracheva.
Gracheva is enjoying the best season of her career, having reached the second week of this year’s Roland Garros. The former top 50 player notably defeated sixth seed Maria Sakkari at the clay-court major.
Iga Swiatek vs. Varvara Gracheva: Match Details
- Tournament: Cincinnati Open 2024
- Match: Iga Swiatek vs. Varvara Gracheva
- Round: Round of 32
- Date: 14 August, 2024
- Time: TBD
- Venue: Lindner Family Tennis Center, Cincinnati, USA.
- Surface: Outdoor Hard Court
Iga Swiatek vs. Varvara Gracheva: Match Preview
Iga Swiatek enters the Cincinnati Open with mixed feelings. Although she fulfilled her father’s dream of winning an Olympic medal, she was frustrated that she didn’t secure the gold.
Swiatek lost in the semifinal to eventual gold medalist Qinwen Zheng, but she secured the bronze by defeating Anna Karolina Schmiedlova in straight sets. However, she has said she will take one match at a time as she prepares for the US Open.
She will face Varvara Gracheva, who has already won three matches in Cincinnati. The 24-year-old won two qualifying matches against Bernarda Pera and Aliaksandra Sasnovich and then secured her first main draw win against Ajla Tomljanovic in the Round of 64.
Swiatek hasn’t played on hard courts since losing to Ekaterina Alexandrova in the Round of 16 in Miami in late March, so it will be interesting to see how she adapts against a player who has already played multiple matches on hard courts.
Iga Swiatek vs. Varvara Gracheva: Match Prediction
This match looks comfortable for Iga Swiatek, but it could be anything but that. Olympic medalists are finding it extremely hard to adapt to the hard courts, and the fans can’t blame them.
Going from clay courts in Paris, to the grass courts of Wimbledon, back to the clay courts of Paris, and then to the U.S. hard courts can be extremely challenging. Moreover, Swiatek is up against a player in Varvara Gracheva, who has experience playing on Cincinnati courts.
The duo have only played each other once before, in the Beijing Open last year. Swiatek won that match in straight sets and is the safe pick to secure another win without many problems.
Match Prediction: Iga Swiatek in two sets.
Iga Swiatek vs. Varvara Gracheva: Live stream details
- USA: ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN+, ESPN Deportes, ABC, Tennis Channel
- UK and Europe (Except France): BBC, Eurosport
- France: beIN Sports France
- Australia: Nine & Stan Sport
- Canada: ESPN International, TSN/RDS
- India: Disney+Hotstar
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