Swiatek secures a place in the last eight
Iga Swiatek is reassured. After arriving in New York in average condition and visibly shaken, the Pole is gaining strength with each passing match.
While she had complained about the demands of the schedule and had given cause for concern in her first match, beating Rakhimova much more than expected (6-4, 7-6), the world number 1 is now playing at a much higher level, match after match.
Inflicting a tennis lesson on poor Shibahara in the second round (6-0, 6-1), she managed perfectly what could have been her first test of the tournament.
Against Pavlyunchenkova, ranked 27th in the world, on Saturday, she resisted her opponent's ardor before going it alone in the second half of the match (6-4, 6-2).
Giving away fewer and fewer points and hitting more and more winners, Swiatek will be looking to confirm her form in the next round, against Samsonova, ranked 16th.