Iga Swiatek: Reigning champion crushes ‘best friend’ Kaja Juvan to reach fourth round of US Open

Iga Swiatek defeated “best friend” Kaja Juvan in a straight sets 6-0 6-1 victory in the third round of the US Open at Louis Armstrong.

Swiatek is facing a challenge from Aryna Sabalenka for her spot as women’s tennis world No. 1, but she remains in the hunt for the last Grand Slam of the season after a routine win.

Her Slovenian opponent – her best friend – had never gone further than the third round of a Grand Slam, and she will have to wait until 2024 for her next attempt to do so.

Swiatek has the Roland-Garros title to her name this season, amongst other WTA tournaments, and she is hoping to defend her US Open title from last season, too.

The 22-year-old champion raced into an early lead in the first set, breaking her opponent twice on her first two service games.

At the start of the second set, an outrageous forehand left Juvan stranded, demonstrating Swiatek was in no mood to slow down.

Juvan made only a slight improvement in the second set, when she managed to win a single game as Swiatek failed to convert a break point for the only time in the match, which was the only blot on an outstanding performance.

Speaking after the match, Swiatek admitted she found it a difficult task to focus on the match at hand given her friendship with Juvan.

She began: “I didn’t like the fact I was kind of winning against my best friend. I knew I had to be focused and not let myself think about that. Playing her is like playing a sister. I don’t have many friends but she’s my best friend.”

Swiatek revealed she had talked to Roger Federer about the trials and pressure of being No. 1, explaining: “Honestly, I have to learn how to find more joy in that. I talked to Roger about that last week. The best way to approach it is really embrace it and be proud of your results.”