Karolina Pliskova said Iga Swiatek is undoubtedly one of the best clay-court players after losing to the Pole in Stuttgart. On Friday, former world No 1 Pliskova made a good start against current world No 1 Swiatek. But Pliskova couldn’t maintain the same level of play for the entire match as Swiatek recovered to beat the Czech 4-6 6-1 6-1.
“Of course, I think she’s maybe one of the toughest on clay, definitely, winning Roland Garros two times. So I think on clay, nobody really likes to play her, but these conditions, I think, can be a little bit different because they’re still a little bit faster.
I practiced here with her once before the tournament. It was quite, let’s say, okay practice. I know at least a little bit about what to expect. I’m going to watch her match. It’s going to be her first match this year on clay. It’s like you never play the best match if it’s your first on that new surface.
So let’s see how she’s gonna play. Still, for me, that doesn’t change. I still have to play my game. Maybe just adapt my position a little bit on the court but still play aggressively. That’s going to be the key,” Pliskova said, per Sportskeeda.
Swiatek keeps her perfect record against Pliskova
In the 2021 Rome final, Swiatek and Pliskova met for the first time in an official WTA match. In their first meeting – which happened to be in the final of a WTA 1000 event – Swiatek destroyed Pliskova 6-0 6-0.
In February, Swiatek and Pliskova were scheduled to meet in the Dubai quarterfinal but the Czech was forced to give a walkover before the start of the match. This Friday, Swiatek clinched her second win over Pliskova. It remains to be seen if Pliskova and Swiatek will meet again during the clay season.
