The first major statement of the new tennis season came swiftly and with devastating force. At the United Cup in Sydney, the new mixed-gender team competition, Poland’s undisputed world No 1, Iga Swiatek, stepped on to the court against the US’s Jessica Pegula with the intention of extending her dominance for another year.
Instead she received a sharp dose of her own medicine. For just over an hour, Pegula picked Swiatek apart, suffocating her with early, crisp ball-striking, outmuscling her from inside the baseline and laying total waste to her serve. Pegula dusted Swiatek aside with the loss of only four games and briskly moved on.
