The Polish Iga Swiatek, world No. 2, made her return to competition after two months of absence by overthrowing the Czech Barbora Krejcikova, in three sets 4-6, 7-5, 6-2, for her entry into the running at the WTA Masters this Sunday in Riyadh.
Overtaken in the first set and led 3-0 in the second, Swiateklong undermined by her unforced errors (47), often crude, was able to find regularity to turn the situation around in the second set and largely dominate the third, winning in 2 hours 35 minutes.
The 23-year-old Pole, who skipped the Asian tour in the fall to “personal reasons”and who recently changed coaches, was playing again for the first time since his defeat in the quarter-finals of theUS Openearly September.
Sacred to Roland-Garros for the third consecutive time in May, Swiatek lost its place as world No. 1 at the end of October to the Belarusian Aryna Sabalenkaeasy winner of the Chinese Zheng Saturday for his first match at Masters.
To hope to recover her throne, the Pole must win this end-of-season tournament, which she easily won last year by crushing the American Jessica Pegulaand hope for a poor performance of Sabalenka.
Facing Swiatek, Krejcikova28 years old, victorious at Wimbledon this season, but last seed in Ryad (N°8), did not last the distance, for his return to singles at the Masters after three years of absence. The two players play in the orange group, which also includes the Americans Coco Gauff (No. 3) and Jessica Pegula (N°6), who immediately clash.
