The 2022 champion never faced a break and made few mistakes as she marched through the match at Arthur Ashe Stadium, pumping her fist after her opponent sent a return past the baseline on match point. She next plays Liudmila Samsonova.
“I’m happy with the performance, because I felt like, you know, she’s a player that can play really powerful shots, so I wanted to be ready for that and I was,” said Świątek. “I’m happy that I was in control of the match.”
Pavlyuchenkova helped the three-times Roland Garros winner to the break in the first game with a pair of unforced errors on the final two points and Świątek served to love in the 10th game.
Świątek took the momentum into the second set, where she dropped only three of her first-serve points and put up just one unforced error, as the Russian’s firepower began to cool.
The Olympic bronze medallist broke Pavlyuchenkova in the third set and prevailed from the baseline to convert on another breakpoint chance in the fifth.
A pre match meeting with Serena Williams offered a boost, as the 23-times major winner returned to Flushing Meadows on Saturday for the first time since she bid farewell to the sport two years ago and met Świątek in the players’ gym.
Swiatek shot down reporters’ suggestions that the interaction - which occurred well before the start of the match in prime time - was a distraction.
“She approached me, like, at 4:00, you know, today. It was before my warmup,” she said. “I would say it more inspired me and it give me, like, a positive kick, so it was nice.”
