Iga Swiatek Survives Noskova Scare to Keep Doha Streak Alive

Swiatek’s Winning Mindset

“I know how tennis works,” Iga Swiatek said earlier this week. It doesn’t always depend on you whether you win the title or not.”

“You just have to show 100 percent effort and commitment and you’ll get your chances.”

A Hard-Fought Victory

The second seed proved herself right on Wednesday with a 6-7(1), 6-4, 6-4 win over Linda Noskova. Or perhaps it would be more accurate to say that Swiatek and Noskova together proved him right.

Noskova: A Tough Opponent for Swiatek

Noskova, a 20-year-old Czech player ranked 33rd, is perhaps best known for how well she competes with Swiatek. She defeated her at the Australian Open last January and later lost two close three-setters to her later in the year. Noskova’s serve is excellent, which partially negates her returns, one of Swiatek’s main weapons. And she is one of the few players who can keep up with Iga from the baseline and beat him with her speed.

A Match of Momentum Shifts

All this was seen again on Wednesday. Noskova hit 16 aces. She held her own in rallies, troubling Swiatek with her surprise ground stroke bombs from behind the baseline and forcing Inga to speed up her long forehand swing and make mistakes. Noskova won 7–1 in the first set tiebreaker, held her serve early in the second set, and went 0–30 on Swiatek’s serve in the next game.

Swiatek Rises to the Challenge

But when Swiatek faced challenges, she focused on improving her game. She came back to level the score at 1–1 and eventually won the second set, making some subtle changes in break points and momentum.

A Thrilling Third Set

This back-and-forth quality continued in the third set. The match was reminiscent of Ekaterina Alexandrova’s win over top seed Aryna Sabalenka the previous day. Each time the higher ranked players – Swiatek, Sabalenka – dominated and took the lead, while the lower ranked players – Noskova, Alexandrova – proved again that they could match their weapons. Stroke by stroke, there wasn’t much separating Nos. 1 and 2 from Nos. 25 and 33.

Noskova Falters at the Finish Line

Until the end, that is. On Tuesday, Alexandrova never wavered or wavered even when the finish line appeared on her mental horizon. On Wednesday, Noskova did just that. With Swiatek serving at 3–4 in the third set, Noskova went up 0–30. Swiatek’s defeat seemed very possible, given that Sabalenka and No. 3 seed Coco Gauff had been eliminated earlier in the week.

Except, in this case, Noskova couldn’t. She could barely play a ball.

The Fine Line Between Victory and Defeat

Noskova missed two returns to make the score 30–30, and another return helped Swiatek win the game. At 4-4, Noskova hit three forehands into the net and lost her serve. On Iga’s second match point, he hit a forehand into the net.

In most of the three sets, Noskova showed how little difference there is between a top player and a second-rate player. Then he showed in the last three games what a difference that is. She was a player who could not control her strokes and played with a little more margin when she was nervous. Swiatek could.

Swiatek’s Take on the Battle

“Every match against Linda is always a tough challenge,” said Swiatek, who secured her 14th straight win in Doha since 2021. “Her serve was tricky, which was just what I needed.”

Swiatek’s Road to Dominance Continues

Yesterday I wondered whether Sabalenka’s defeat might signal a change in Swiatek’s direction at the top of the WTA. From 2022 onwards, Iga has used Doha as a launching point for a run of dominance lasting up to Roland Garros. Today she almost failed to launch. But by now, as she said, Swiatek knows how tennis works. Victory doesn’t always depend on what you do; It can also mean that you keep giving your best until your opponent is defeated.