Iga Swiatek Dominates Nadia Podoroska at US Open
NEW YORK — On a sunlit afternoon tucked away from the chaos of Arthur Ashe, the Grandstand crowd got exactly what it came for: Iga Swiatek, up close, in full command, and in no mood to linger.
The World No. 8 needed just over an hour to dismiss Argentina’s Nadia Podoroska 6-3, 6-2, a scoreline that flattered neither player but underlined the gulf in class when it mattered.
Swiatek in cruise control
This was their first meeting since the French Open semifinals six years ago, but any sense of reunion quickly gave way to routine. Swiatek’s serve set the tone. She landed 79 percent of her first serves and won 78 percent of those points. She did not face a single break.
Podoroska, fresh from a three-set win over Simona Waltert in the opening round, tried to hang with her. She struck 11 winners against just 12 unforced errors — tidy, disciplined tennis. Swiatek’s numbers were only marginally sharper at 14 winners and 13 errors. The difference lay in the weight of shot and the relentlessness behind them.
Swiatek took time away. She stepped inside the baseline on return. She closed at the net. Every department tilted in her favor.
One opening, shut down
Podoroska’s only real window came late in the first set. Serving at 5-3 down, she held to stay in touch, then finally cracked open Swiatek’s service game. Three break points. A flicker of tension in the stands.
Swiatek slammed the door.
Two unreturned serves erased the first two chances. She dragged the game to deuce, then survived two more deuces with the same blend of precision and aggression. On her second set point, Podoroska blinked first, sending a forehand just wide. Set Swiatek. Any notion of an upset went with it.
From there, the match slipped away quickly.
No drama in the second
The second set never threatened to ignite. Swiatek surged to a 5-1 lead, reading Podoroska’s patterns, picking off short balls, and dictating with authority. The Argentinian kept her game clean, but clean wasn’t enough against this level of control.
Match point captured the day in a single stroke. Swiatek carved a gorgeous crosscourt backhand that skidded out of Podoroska’s reach, a flourish to end a performance built on efficiency.
With the win, Swiatek moves into the third round of the US Open, where Harriet Dart or 25th seed Maria Bouzkova awaits. On this evidence, whoever comes through will need more than just clean numbers — they’ll need a way to disrupt a player who looks entirely at home, even on the most intimate stage in New York.
