Swiatek holds off Vekic in San Diego, wins eighth title of season

Swiatek holds off Vekic in San Diego, wins eighth title of season (Image Source: Google)

San Diego, World No.1 Iga Swiatek took home her eighth title of the year after defeating qualifier Donna Vekic 6-3, 3-6, 6-0 here on Sunday.

Top-seeded Swiatek needed 1 hour and 47 minutes to earn the San Diego Open title with her tour-leading 64th match-win of the year.

Poland's Swiatek has the most match-wins in a single season (including WTA Tour events and Billie Jean King Cup play) since Serena Williams won 78 matches in 2013.

Swiatek has had a nearly perfect year at American events, with a 24-1 win-loss record on U.S. soil in 2022. She adds the San Diego trophy to triumphs in the States at the Sunshine Double of Indian Wells and Miami, as well as her third career Grand Slam title at the US Open.

Meanwhile, Vekic's resurgent run through the draw came to an end at the hands of the World No.1, in the former Top 20 player's second match of the day.

Vekic's semifinal was interrupted by rain on Saturday night with the Croatian trailing Danielle Collins 4-2 in the third set, but she valiantly fought back for a win in a third-set tie-break when that match resumed on Sunday.

After winning her two qualifying matches, Vekic had defeated four straight Top 25 players in this week's main draw. But despite pushing Swiatek into a third set for the first time in their three meetings, overcoming the top seed was a step too far for Vekic.

Swiatek won 82 percent of her second-service points in the final, while Vekic only had a 39 percent success rate behind her own second serves. That helped Swiatek convert four of her six break points on the day.

Swiatek was the steadier player in the first set, drawing errors from Vekic to earn the only break at 4-2 en route to the one-set lead.

But Vekic's aggressive mindset paid off in the second set, where she forced errors from the World No.1 with world-class backhands to earn the only break point of the set at 3-2. There, Vekic won a wild rally with a passing winner to break for 4-2, and she went on to take the set.

In the end, Swiatek came out firing in the third set, wrapping up lengthy rallies with pinpoint winners to sweep through the bagel and improve to 3-0 against Vekic.

Earlier on Sunday, No.1 seeds Coco Gauff and Jessica Pegula overcame No.2 seeds Gabriela Dabrowski and Giuliana Olmos 1-6, 7-5, (10-4) in a 1-hour and 20-minute final to capture the San Diego Open doubles title.

Gauff and Pegula had to play two full matches on Sunday to wrap up their week. They won their rain-postponed semifinal match over No.4 seeds Desirae Krawczyk and Demi Schuurs 6-3, 7-6(5) earlier in the day.