Iga Swiatek thrashes Danielle Collins to set up Qatar Open quarter-final with Belinda Bencic

Published 15/02/2023 at 21:42 GMT

World No. 1 Iga Swiatek had not played since the Australian Open in January and she returned to action in Doha at the Qatar Open on Wednesday. She cruised past Danielle Collins 6-0 6-1 with little difficulty, and will now move onto the quarter-final stages where she faces Swiss Olympic champion Belinda Bencic, in an attempt to retain her title from 2022.

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World No. 1 Iga Swiatek was on blistering form in her first match since the Australian Open as she thrashed Danielle Collins 6-0 6-1 at the Qatar Open.

Collins, ranked No.42 in the world, was no match for her dominant opponent, and she could not hold Swiatek at bay for more than an hour, with the Pole winning the first three games in fewer than 10 minutes, and taking the first set in just 21.

The second went much the same way as Swiatek was in no mood to take her foot off the accelerator.

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Swiatek now moves onto the quarter-finals, where she will meet Switzerland’s Belinda Bencic.

"[I felt] pretty confident," Swiatek told reporters after her victory. "I'm happy that I was kind of composed and from the beginning until the end pretty focused and disciplined with tactics.

"I didn't really let Danielle get into the rhythm. I wanted to be aggressive. I'm pretty happy that I did that well."

American Collins was struggling to keep the ball in the lines throughout and made 13 unforced errors, meaning Swiatek dropped just four points in the first set, and the Pole's dominant serve kept her on top throughout.

Collins managed to get a game in the second set to make it briefly 3-1 but in total, Swiatek needed just 53 minutes to wrap up her straight-sets victory.

Bencic, who beat Victoria Azarenka in her second-round match in Qatar, should prove a tougher opponent for Swiatek. Bencic already has two titles to her name this year, including last week’s tournament in Abu Dhabi.

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