Clay queen Swiatek adapting to grass

Bad Homburg, June 29

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Claycourt specialist Iga Swiatek has never been beyond the fourth round at Wimbledon but the world No. 1 says the transition to slick grass surfaces is becoming a little easier each year.

The Pole warmed up for this year’s grasscourt Grand Slam by reaching her first quarterfinal on the surface at the Bad Homburg Open.

She brushed aside Switzerland’s Jil Teichmann 6-3 6-1 in the last-16 of the WTA 250 event on Wednesday for her 37th win of the season but only an eighth career victory on grass. Swiatek followed it up with another straight-set (6-3 6-2) win against Anna Blinkova to enter the semifinals of the German event.

“It’s getting easier every year to convert my claycourt style to more grasscourt style,” said Swiatek, who won her third French Open title this month.

The 22-year-old, whose coach Tomasz Wiktorowski previously worked with former world No. 1 Agnieszka Radwanska, said her grass game would improve with experience. “I have a coach who knows how to coach players who are good on grass courts like Aga Radwanska, so I’m pretty positive about my future on grass,” she said. Reuters

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