Iga Swiatek quickly went to her phone after defeating Ekaterina Alexandrova 6-3, 6-1 to secure her place in the US Open quarterfinals on Monday to send a text message during a live television interview.
Swiatek does not know her quarterfinal opponent yet as the No 2 seed looks to stay in prime shape with possibly her toughest challenges ahead of her.
Turns out one of the worlds best was not done playing on the courts in New York City, and that was present of mind in the middle of the year’s final Grand Slam tournament.
‘Do you have any interest in telling us who that text message was going to?’ the on-court interview said from Louis Armstrong Stadium.
‘Just my coach. I asked him to book like 10 minutes of the practice courts if it’s possible,’ Swiatek replied.
The crowd responded in kind, knowing even after a grueling match, the Polish superstar wanted to continue hitting balls.
Swiatek will play the winner of Amanda Anisimova and Beatriz Haddad Maia in the quarterfinals and will be highly favored over either opponent.
Both of the players already advanced to the quarterfinals are on the opposite side of the draw in Aryna Sabalenka and Jessica Pegula, meaning a more direct route to a final on paper exists for the 24-year-old.
Swiatek has already won six Grand Slam singles titles, with her expertise coming on clay, with four of those victories coming at the French Open.
She is also a previous US Open champion, having won the final at Arthur Ashe in 2022.
Since then, Swiatek has not made it back to the semifinals, losing in the fourth round in 2023 and the quarterfinals last year.
