WATCH: Lindsay Davenport recalls historic 2004 Cincinnati Open title
After Lindsay Davenport had considered retiring in the summer of that year, she won the Cincinnati Open in 2004 when the WTA returned to Mason.
MASON, Ohio – When Cincinnati Open tournament director Bob Moran picked up Iga Swiatek from the airport last week, the number of her bags was in the double digits.
The Hologic WTA Tour can be a tough nut to crack even for the top-ranked female tennis player in the world.
In Warren County, Swiatek’s rise seemingly came out of nowhere. A 2019 qualifier, Swiatek reached the round of 32 and was in the top 10 when the tournament returned to Mason in 2021 after a year in New York City due to the pandemic.
Ranked No. 1 in the world at consecutive Cincinnati Opens, she sees Mason as a place to recover after another stellar summer abroad, which culminated in winning two consecutive WTA 1000 championships (Madrid, Rome), her third consecutive French Open title and a bronze medal in Paris.
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“I had to reset and focus on getting my technique back,” Swiatek said in her pre-tournament media press conference. “(Mason) is the perfect place to do that. It feels less crazy.”
While the Cincinnati Open is currently undergoing a $260 million renovation, Mason is no match for the off-court pressures that come with events like Wimbledon and the Olympics.
“Off the pitch it feels calmer. I try to take advantage of that,” said Swiatek.
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While tournament officials will not be happy that Swiatek considers this week a “practice tournament,” she is still trying to win an event where she has failed throughout her short but illustrious career, reaching the semifinals only once (2023).
Swiatek was the clay court queen after winning Roland Garros for the fourth time in her career, but Cincinnati – her first American tournament since Miami in March – opens the hard court tour and she will need some time to get used to the new surface before the US Open.
“It can be hard, it can be easy. I don’t know,” Swiatek said. “I don’t expect to play perfectly.”
Swiatek survives close opening game in Cincinnati
Swiatek approached the event in a relaxed manner and looked almost perfect when she opened the Cincinnati Open against Varvara Gracheva on Wednesday.
Swiatek was aggressive from the start, using her hard groundstrokes to win the first set 6-0. She forced a match point after just 50 minutes when she was leading 5-2 in the second set.
Gracheva, however, responded and put the world No. 1 under pressure by winning the second set in an 18-point tiebreak. Swiatek eventually eliminated the qualifier, who was looking to spring an upset, by winning the last four games of the third set.
“I’m happy with my performance and I’m looking forward to another match where I can continue to work on myself and implement what I’ve been working on,” Swiatek said. “I’m glad I managed to do it in the third (set).”
Swiatek can now get the Chipotle she craves, try to “resist” Graeter’s Ice Cream, and enjoy the intimacy and simplicity that characterizes Mason’s nightlife compared to Paris.
If you don’t count the replica of the Eiffel Tower on Kings Island, which towers in the background of the Lindner Family Tennis Center.
