World number one Iga Swiatek made a successful return from injury at the WTA Stuttgart event, advancing to the quarter-finals with a straight-sets win over Zheng Qinwen.
Swiatek’s dominant first set set the tone for the match, as she won 6-1, 6-4 in just under 90 minutes on the clay court. Despite Zheng breaking to lock the second set at 4-4, Swiatek broke back immediately and served out the match to seal her victory.
“I felt like I needed to be 100 percent focused from the beginning to the end, to think about technique and tactics,” Swiatek said of her performance.
“I’m pretty happy that I’m not rusty and I could perform good tennis, even though I had a break.” The two-time French Open winner also praised her opponent, saying that Zheng was “really talented” and that she needed to adjust her game to win.
Swiatek had withdrawn from the Miami Open and Billie Jean King Cup qualifiers with a rib injury but told reporters on Wednesday that she was “not injured anymore.” Her victory in Stuttgart is a positive sign for the Polish player as she heads into the clay court season, where she will be defending her title at the French Open.
