2024 WTA Finals: Day 2 Analysis
Featured match: Swiatek vs Krejcikova
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Featured Match — Day 2
#2 Iga Swiatek vs #8 Barbora Krejcikova
H-2-H: Tied 2-2
Last meeting: Krejcikova 6-4 6-2 — 2023 WTA 1000 Dubai Final, hardcourt
Swiatek came in as the favourite but she hadn’t played since a bothering loss to Jessica Pegula at the US Open that preceded a coaching change. So this would be Swiatek’s first appearance with Wim Fissette at the helm.
Krejcikova was crowned Wimbledon champion but she struggled the rest of the year for fitness and match wins. Her record after the Paris Olympics stood at 2-5, including a mid-match retirement in her last event at WTA 500 Ningbo.
At her best, Krejcikova can be a formidable opponent to Swiatek, as demonstrated by her 2 wins in their last 2 meetings… and for a little over 1 hour, it was that version of Krejcikova that performed in Riyadh.
1. Krejcikova jumped to a 6-4 3-0 lead
Serving and timing the ball well, Krejcikova gave all sorts of troubles to Swiatek, who was fighting to adjust to the pace of the match.
As a result, the Czech ruled from the baseline, winning 23 of 35 (66%) baseline duels en route to a set and double-break lead.
Swiatek’s groundstrokes were off, in particular her middle of the baseline forehands. On such shots, the former #1 accumulated 10 unforced errors while Krejcikova built a 6-4 3-0 lead (yellow circle below).
A significant portion of those misses occurred in Swiatek’s first shot after serving [also referred to as “serve+1”]. The Polish was sending her “serve+1s” all over the place, as the following compilation shows.