Iga Swiatek puzzled by her poor serving in surprise US Open defeat

Iga Swiatek, aged 23, expressed her inability to resolve the serving difficulties she encountered on Wednesday, resulting in her defeat by Jessica Pegula, 6-2, 6-4, in the quarterfinals of the US Open.

During the match held at Arthur Ashe Stadium, Swiatek managed to win just over half of her first serve points and confronted eight break points. Additionally, she recorded 41 unforced errors.

"When I found myself down 4-0 in the first set, I attempted to maintain my usual approach," remarked the 2022 champion, who had previously triumphed in six of her last nine encounters against Pegula.

"I struggled to comprehend why my serve was ineffective. It was challenging for me to identify an appropriate solution."

The five-time Grand Slam champion acknowledged Pegula's performance as deserving of victory.

"She delivers a challenging ball that is quite low and flat... she was undoubtedly more consistent than I was and committed far fewer errors. Consequently, she was able to exert pressure," the Polish player noted.

"Typically, I can counteract that or apply pressure myself, but today I simply made too many mistakes."

Swiatek, who secured her third consecutive French Open title in June and earned a bronze medal at the Paris Olympics last month, indicated that she does not intend to take a break following the final major tournament of the year.

"It might be somewhat easier, but I am adhering to my schedule. I am only discussing mandatory tournaments, and there are regulations concerning those," she stated.

"However, I am prepared to compete until November, barring any injuries."