World No. 1 Iga Swiatek comes from behind to defeat Jule Niemeier, advancing to US Open quarterfinals
Iga Swiatek overcame a 1-2 deficit at the finish to beat Jule Niemeier in four sets in a hard-fought, low-seeded quarterfinals match at the US Open on Tuesday. Niemeier, who played at the US Open in 2005 and 2006, lost to eventual champion Kim Clijsters in the quarterfinals in both of those years.
Iga has already made it to the semifinals of this tournament twice in her career — once in 2007 (losing to Kim Clijsters in the semifinals) and once in 2014 (losing to Serena Williams). Swiatek will try to make it three wins the next time she plays in a US Open quarterfinal.
Swiatek had to battle back from 1-2 down entering the fifth set at the US Open.
This was just one of many reasons why Iga won her first game and went on to win the match. And, that’s exactly what Iga needed as well.
What was most impressive about her performance was this: she came back from 3-0 down in the fifth set and played a great game at 5-5.
Swiatek is just 23 and came to the U.S. Open ranked world No. 4. She is undefeated this tournament, so she has done everything in her power to prepare for the US Open.
“I have been training every day for the last three months,” Swiatek told reporters after the match. “I was nervous at the start but I have been playing a lot, so I feel really confident in my game.”
Swiatek beat Niemeier, who is ranked 40th in the world, in the first round of the Australian Open in January. Swiatek won the match in straight sets, but lost in the third round of the Rogers Cup in October.
Swiatek’s career trajectory was a little different than Niemeier’s.
In the three years before her Grand Slam quarterfinal at the 2019 US Open, Swiatek lost
