She lost the first set deservedly 2-6. In the second set, it seemed like the queen had returned. She led 4-0, playing the way we like best. But it was just a brief moment of hope. Then everything collapsed again like a house of cards. The Chinese player made up the entire deficit, then broke Świątek's serve again and ultimately won 6-2, 7-5.
Świątek Couldn't Speak Normally. The Emotions Were Too Strong...
After the match, Iga gave an interview to Eurosport. Or rather, she tried to, because the emotions were overflowing. "I had a hole in my backhand. It’s usually my strongest shot, but today I wasn’t technically well-positioned, probably also due to the tension. We played day after day, and there was no time to fine-tune it. Of course, this is no excuse; Zheng took full advantage of it. The way the match went shows exactly that. So... I just... I messed up," said Świątek, her voice trembling more and more.
The Eurosport reporter tried to ask Iga about the third-place match on Friday, but she was no longer able to respond. She started crying, turned her back to the wall, hid her face in her hands, and didn’t say another word. The broadcast ended with the heartbreaking sight of the devastated Polish player. According to Sport.pl journalist Łukasz Jachimiak on the X platform, Świątek quickly passed through the rest of the media zone, only saying, "I'm sorry, next time."
