Bia Haddad Maia wins a comeback set, but loses in the quarters to the world number 1 | tennis

Beatriz Haddad Maia gave Iga Swiatek a scare and won the first set of the quarterfinals of the Madrid Open 6-4 after losing 6-1. This Tuesday morning (30), Bia chased every ball , every point, every game to win the set, in a comeback, against the first in the world. But she couldn’t resist the Polish’s strength and consistency and ended up defeated by 2 sets to 1, 4-6, 6-0 and 6-2. Owner of five Grand Slam titles, Swiatek is in the semifinals of the WTA 1000 tournament.

It was nice to see Bia’s confidence in the first set, not to mention her variety of moves. Swiatek went to the locker room during the break from the first to the second set with a dazed look as if he hadn’t understood anything that had happened, but he came back with the hard expression of someone who knew exactly what to do so that the result wouldn’t happen again. There was no chance for Bia to win a single game in the second set. In the third, the Brazilian managed to balance the match a little more, but it wasn’t enough.

Bia started the first set still trying to find her game against Iga Swiatek. In the fourth game of the match, Bia’s second serving, Swiatek broke his serve. The Polish then confirmed her serve in the next game and took a 4-1 lead. It seemed like an almost impossible situation to reverse against the number one in the world. But Bia wasn’t shaken. She maintained her game, betting on powerful serves, firm returns and occasional arrivals at the net, for volleys and short returns. Point by point, game by game, the Polish woman took advantage. First, he confirmed his serve, making it 4-2. Then, he returned the break, leaving the match at 4-3.

Once again on serve, she saw her opponent open 0-40, a triple break point in the longest game of the first set. Bia got closer until she tied at 40 equals. From then on, she opened the lead four times. Swiatek tied again three times in a row, but Bia was patient and waited for Iga to make a mistake, throwing it out, to close and tie the set at 4-4.

Bia’s recovery seemed to destabilize Swiatek. The Polish went for serve and saw Bia reach a double break point. He saved the first, but committed a double fault afterwards and Bia was ahead of the set for the first time, with 5-4. And he had no difficulty in closing the next game and the set at 6-4, in a breathtaking turnaround. .

Bia stayed on the court between the first and second sets, but Swiatek headed to the locker room. He spent the entire break there, and came back with a notebook in his hand. What he wrote down on those sheets is unknown. But he carefully placed him on his bench and returned to the game much more focused, firm and aggressive than in the first set.

Bia, on the other hand, was unable to find her game again against an opponent determined to show that she is not number one in the world for nothing. She won six games in a row, breaking Bia’s serve three times in a row, and took an undeniable 6-0 after winning three set points in the sixth game. Bia, who was on serve, went after the loss in the first two and came to an advantage, but couldn’t resist a killer cross from the Polish player in the third.

In the third set, Swiatek continued to show speed, movement and variety of shots. Alternating deep balls with short balls, parallels with crosses, precise arrivals at the net with excellent ground work in the fourth, the Polish woman closed the set at 6-2. This time, Bia even broke Swiatek’s serve in the third game and managed to confirm his own serve in the sixth. But she had her serve broken in the second, fourth and eighth games.

End of Madrid Open for Bia. The defeat hurt, but it doesn’t erase a campaign in which they beat the sixth in the world and made the number one sweat by losing a set.

Women’s tennis gains strength on and off the court