By Shrivathsa Sridhar
NEW YORK (Reuters) -A laser-focused Iga Swiatek barely broke sweat as the former U.S. Open champion methodically dismantled Russian 13th seed Ekaterina Alexandrova 6-3 6-1 and booked her return to the quarter-finals of the Grand Slam on Monday.
The 24-year-old’s crushing win on Louis Armstrong Stadium meant that she became the youngest woman to reach at least the quarter-finals of all four Grand Slams in a single season since 18-year-old Maria Sharapova managed the feat in 2005.
Swiatek was typing away furiously on her phone as she waited for her on-court interview afterwards and said she was sending a message to her coach Wim Fissette.
“I asked him to book a practice court for 10 minutes, if possible,” the world number two said, before she explained what worked well in helping her reach her 13th major quarter-final.
“I would say the intensity and focus. In the beginning I felt like she played fast and the court is different. I wanted to find my rhythm afterwards and I was in my bubble.
“I forced the ball to go in. I’m happy with the quality.”
After an early exchange of breaks, Swiatek pounced again in the seventh game when Alexandrova’s attempt at a cheeky shot at the net misfired and allowed the 2022 New York champion to bag the opening set shortly afterwards.
Six-times major winner Swiatek never looked back from there as she took control of the second set to see off Alexandrova and continue her bid to become the first woman since Serena Williams in 2012 to win Wimbledon and the U.S. Open in the same year.
That double success would prove remarkable for a player long considered a claycourt specialist after four French Open wins.
“Now I like all of them,” second seed Swiatek said of the different surfaces, adding it felt a bit “weird”.
“The clay season has always been my favourite but people make it pretty hard for me with the pressure around. Sometimes it’s just easier to enjoy the surfaces where it’s harder to play but you have more freedom to make mistakes and accept them.
“Every month is different. I can play on every surface if I feel good in my game and in my head. I feel confident. I’ll try to play good throughout the whole year.”
Up next for the Polish player is either American eighth seed Amanda Anisimova, who she thrashed 6-0 6-0 in this year’s Wimbledon final, or Brazilian 18th seed Beatriz Haddad Maia.
(Reporting by Shrivathsa Sridhar in New York; Editing by Ken Ferris)
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