
Impressive for her return to competition after a nice break between the end of the American tour and clay, Iga Swiatek suffered the first defeat of her career in Stuttgart. Opposed to Elena Rybakina in the semi-finals on Saturday, the Pole was beaten in three sets by an opponent who was less and less successful. She will perhaps arrive in Madrid and Rome with a little less confidence than usual.
The clay court season for players is a bit difficult to face. Indeed, in each tournament they are confronted with different conditions which sometimes have nothing to do with Roland-Garrosas is the case with Stuttgart. Yet Every Swiatek had succeeded in making Stuttgart an unmissable event for her in recent years since she won the event in 2022 and 2023. This time, she came across Elena Rybakinadetermined to put an end to his domination.
First defeat in Stuttgart
Since getting her hands on the world number 1 spot in 2022, Every Swiatek has reached a phenomenal level especially on clay. Moreover, she competes in the tournament of Stuttgart since that year and she had never lost a single match until this Saturday. Beaten by Elena Rybakina in three sets, she does not start this part of the calendar as she had become accustomed to. It will be necessary to wait Madrid to find success.
Tennis: He makes an incredible announcement about Nadal at Roland-Garros! https://t.co/YHWlA99rKb pic.twitter.com/AeWC9dncNH
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Rybakina, the pebble in the shoe
World number 4 in the rankings WTA, Elena Rybakina has been one of the very best players for a while now and it makes sense. The Kazakh is capable of sublimating herself even on clay and she is starting to seriously worry the Pole. She now leads 4-2 in confrontations and above all she became the first player to beat twice Every Swiatek on clay after Rome Last year. This defeat could have consequences for the boss.
Swiatek sous pression ?
Even if her latest statements suggested that she was handling the pressure around her well, Every Swiatek could experience some difficulties in the coming weeks since this defeat revives the debates a little and it will have to respond presently. The Polonaise still remains a big favorite for the Madrid Masters 1000 and of Rome but it’s Rybakina who scored big points.