Six short years ago Iga Swiatek arrived on the clay courts of Budapest for the Junior Fed Cup and in her first match she stared down the court at a Canadian opponent called Bianca Andreescu. As she won in three tough sets it would be one of the formative results of Swiatek’s junior career, a win that imbued her with the belief that she could take on players from the bigger, more famous tennis nations. She finished the week by leading Poland to the title.
It has been a long journey for both players since and in the quarter-finals of the Italian Open their paths finally crossed in singles competition for a second time, now as grand slam champions who have watched each other from afar with immense mutual respect. This match-up may one day stand as a defining rivalry of the era but for now this is Swiatek’s time. After a bruising opening set she efficiently separated herself as she breezed to a remarkable 26th consecutive victory, defeating Andreescu 7-6 (2), 6-0.
