Miami Tournament | Iga Swiatek wins by beating Naomi Osaka

(Miami) The boss is Iga Swiatek: the Pole assumed her status as world No.1, even before it was made official on Monday, by winning the Miami Open, 6-4, 6-0 against Naomi Osaka, back to the fore, after a psychologically difficult year.

Many could have decompensated in her position, but not her. Swiatek, winner of the first WTA 1000 of the season, two weeks ago in Indian Wells, assured of ascending the throne in stride, taking advantage of the unexpected retirement of Australian Ashleigh Barty, was on the contrary carried by a dynamic, energy and total confidence in Florida.

The 20-year-old player, who achieves the “sunshine double” (doubled Indian Wells / Miami) that only the German Steffi Graff, the Belgian Kim Clijsters and the Belarusian Victoria Azarenka have achieved before her, happens to be the youngest of the four .

Revealed by her triumph at Roland-Garros in 2020, Swiatek is having an almost perfect first quarter of 2022. On the heels of his lost semi-final at the Australian Open, then 8^and world, she has risen irresistibly to reach the heights of the circuit in two months: also victorious at the Doha tournament, she is after this third consecutive title in Florida out of a series of 17 games won.

Iga dominant

Even if it didn’t keep all its promises, this final promised to be one of the most exciting in recent months on the women’s circuit. Because in front of her stood Naomi Osaka, who preceded Swiatek on the world throne, for 25 weeks, when she seemed untouchable, strong with four Grand Slam titles (United States Open 2018, 2020 and Australian Open 2019, 2021), before dropping to 77^and square.

And the Japanese girl’s return to spring form seemed almost unexpected, given the dark period of the past few months, when it was more a question of tears and distress on the courts than of tennis.

At the heart of the aptly named Hard Rock Stadium, the Polish Guns N’Roses fan has felt in her element for the past 10 days, dismissing all of her opponents unceremoniously in two sets. Naomi Osaka, who grew up a few kilometers north of Miami, in Fort Lauderdale, was also a bit at home, carried by a favorable environment and the memory of a victory in 2019 during their first confrontation.

But at the time Swiatek was not yet a rival that counts. And the Polish has done well to make the brilliant demonstration of its current domination.

Immediately taking control in the exchanges, she put pressure on Osaka who still retained her first game of service after 11 minutes.

End of the tunnel

The Pole tightened the noose again and broke on the next one to lead 3-2, after placing a powerful cross backhand, one of her weapons. Then she pocketed the set, without ever having been worried about her commitment.

She has never offered a break point to the Japanese, whose resistance has fizzled. In steamroller mode, Swiatek chained winning shots and almost blank games to end on a “donut”, which symbolized Osaka’s lack of combativeness in the second act.

For the Japanese, who had not been in the final of a competition since the Australian Open won in 2021, this course in Florida nevertheless allows her to see the end of the tunnel.

Two weeks ago, in Indian Wells, she had experienced a new moment of distress during and after her elimination at 2^and turn, after a verbal provocation from the stands (“Naomi you suck!”).

The question then arose again of her future in professional tennis, for the one who had confided, at the time of Roland-Garros last June, to be plagued by anxiety for several years.

Other tear episodes had occurred. First at the Cincinnati tournament in August, then the following month at the United States Open, at a press conference, after his surprise elimination at the 3^and round against Canadian Leylah Fernandez.

Two weeks ago, Osaka started working with a therapist and she said she felt the first benefits of this approach. It happened in Miami.