CINCINNATI: Iga Swiatek expects a tough return to hardcourt tennis at the Cincinnati Open but the top-ranked Pole said she will not heap pressure on herself and approach the WTA 1000 event like a “practice tournament” before the US Open.

Swiatek last competed on the surface at the Miami Open in March and then went on to win titles on clay at Madrid, Rome and the French Open before crashing out in the third round on the grasscourts of Wimbledon.

After swapping turf for clay again and claiming the Olympic bronze at Roland Garros earlier this month, the 23-year-old will begin her Cincinnati campaign with measured expectations.

“I know that the first tournament on hardcourts isn’t going to be easy,” said Swiatek, who plays Ajla Tomljanovic or Varvara Gracheva in the second round this week. “So I’m going to try to treat it as a practice tournament, but not in a way that I don’t care - more in a way that I want to implement all the stuff that I practiced on. I think it’s the best approach for me now.”

Swiatek said Cincinnati was the ideal venue to reboot after a busy few months on tour as she prepares for the Aug 26-Sept 8 US Open where she will aim to win a second title and sixth Grand Slam crown overall.

“I felt after the Olympics I need to reset and also focus on getting my technique back together and just grinding on court,” Swiatek said. “Here’s the perfect place to do it. It feels a little bit less crazy, but on the other hand, even before the tournament, there are many people and a lot of fans. So you still feel it’s an important tournament.”

SINNER PLAYS DOWN HIP ISSUE

Meanwhile, men’s world number one Jannik Sinner said he is not worried about a hip issue that had been troubling him over the last couple of months and that he is looking forward to getting back on court in Cincinnati.

The 22-year-old has struggled to shake off the injury he picked up in May in Madrid and looked to have aggravated it during a shock quarter-final defeat by Andrey Rublev in Montreal on Saturday.

However, Sinner put his struggles down to the intensity of recent matches after skipping the Paris Olympics due to tonsillitis.

“I feel quite good. Obviously I made nearly one week without practising before, and then after playing for two-three days in a row, a bit more than usual, [that] could [have had] a potential impact to the hip,” Sinner told reporters. “But I’m not afraid. I feel good with the hip, and I’m just looking forward to going back on court here.”

In Monday’s action, Flavio Cobolli saved three match points and rallied to defeat 13th-ranked Tommy Paul to advance to the second round.

The 22-year-old Italian upset the American 6-2, 4-6, 7-5 in the first match at the US Open tuneup event. Cobolli’s next opponent will be either countryman Luciano Darderi or Alejandro Tabilo of Chile.

Published in Dawn, August 14th, 2024