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May 17, 2021

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Swiatek blanks Pliskova in final

Source: Agencies | 00:05 UTC+8 May 17, 2021 | Print Edition

If Iga Swiatek continues playing like this, she might have no problem defending her French Open title when the year’s second Grand Slam starts in two weeks.

The 19-year-old Pole routed Karolina Pliskova 6-0, 6-0 with what is known as a “double bagel” score in an Italian Open final that lasted just 46 minutes yesterday.

Swiatek lost just 13 points.

“Definitely not the best day for me,” Pliskova said. “Iga was playing great tennis today.

“I think you have just days like this in tennis where things are not going your way,” she added. “I will just quickly forget about today.”

Blasting winners at will with both her forehand and backhand, Swiatek led 17-5 in winners and committed only five unforced errors to Pliskova’s 23.

It wasn’t always so easy this week for Swiatek, the surprise winner in Paris last year when she was ranked 54th.

She had to save two match points in her third-round victory over Barbora Krejcikova, then had to win twice on Saturday — beating both two-time Rome champion Elina Svitolina and 17-year-old Coco Gauff — after her quarterfinal was pushed back a day due to rain.

“It’s been a tough week but I’m really happy that I got through everything,” Swiatek said. “I was super focused today so I’m really proud of myself.”

Swiatek’s third career title will move her into the top 10 of the rankings for the first time today — to No. 9.

Pliskova was playing in her third consecutive final at the Foro Italico, having won the title in 2019. The former world No. 1 retired injured in last year’s final to Romania’s Simona Halep.

The veteran Czech player slammed her racquet to the red clay in frustration early in the second set and received a code violation warning for unsportsmanlike conduct.

Later, Rafael Nadal was renewing his rivalry with Novak Djokovic in the men’s final.

Djokovic said on Saturday that the ‘Big Three’ of men’s tennis have found some “fresh energy” to thwart the charge of younger players on the tour.

The last four ATP Masters 1000 events, the most prestigious tournaments outside the Grand Slams, have been won by players outside the grouping of Djokovic, Nadal and Roger Federer.

But top seed Djokovic was facing second seed Nadal at the Foro Italico later for the Rome Masters title in a 57th career meeting between the duo, with the Serbian leading 29-27.

“Rafa and I had a little laugh today in the locker room after I won against (Stefanos) Tsitsipas,” Djokovic, 33, told reporters after his semifinal win against local favorite Lorenzo Sonego.

“We kind of joked around that the old guys are still not giving up. I saw he said somewhere a few days ago that Roger, him and I are old, but I disagree with him. I think we’re showing some different, fresh energy.

“We had a laugh about it ... I’m really glad that we are showing we’re not backing off from the NextGenATP attacks.”

Russian Daniil Medvedev, 25, won the ATP Finals and the Paris Masters titles last year and has already displaced the 34-year-old Nadal from second spot in the rankings.

Hubert Hurkacz, Tsitsipas and Alexander Zverev have won the three Masters events this year with Greek Tsitsipas the youngest of them, at 22.

But Djokovic and Nadal would return to the Masters winners’ circle yesterday, having survived some stern tests during their previous rounds in Rome.

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