Iga Swiatek, who recently emerged victorious in the China Open, took to social media to extend her congratulations to fellow countryman Hubert Hurkacz, who secured his second career Masters title in Shanghai this past Sunday.
Responding to an emotional note from Hurkacz, the WTA World No. 2 expressed her gratitude to her friends, family, and the enthusiastic Shanghai crowd for the “special” win. She also praised Andrey Rublev for his exceptional performance during the competition and congratulated Hurkacz, writing, “Great job, Hubi! Huge congratulations.”
Andrey Rublev showcased remarkable prowess, securing straight-set wins in all his matches in Shanghai, earning him a spot in the title round. On the other hand, Hurkacz faced a tougher road to the finals, being pushed to a third set by Zhang Zhizhen and Fabian Marozsan earlier in the competition.
Following a semifinal victory over Sebastian Korda with scores of 6-3, 6-4, Swiatek faced Rublev in the final. Despite losing the second set, she capitalized on her powerful first serve, ultimately prevailing against the fifth-seeded Russian in the crucial final match.
After previous losses to Rublev at Dubai and Indian Wells last year, Hubert Hurkacz secured his second Masters title, surpassing the 25-year-old in this race. Rublev had clinched the Monte-Carlo Masters earlier this season, while Hurkacz had reigned supreme at Miami in 2021.
Hubert Hurkacz made history, becoming the highest-ranked male player in Polish tennis history when he climbed to ATP World No. 9 in 2021. Meanwhile, former WTA World No. 1 Iga Swiatek remains the first Pole to have won a Grand Slam title.
Iga Swiatek’s Eventful 2023 Season So Far
The 2023 season did not kick off as planned for Iga Swiatek, as she was defeated by Elena Rybakina in the fourth round of the Australian Open. However, she made a strong comeback, securing victory at the Qatar Open, although she fell short against Barbora Krejcikova in the final of the Dubai Tennis Championships.
Elena Rybakina halted Swiatek’s progress in the semifinals of the Indian Wells Masters. Nevertheless, Swiatek showcased her resilience, triumphing over Aryna Sabalenka in the Stuttgart Open title round.
The intense rivalry between Sabalenka and Swiatek continued in the Madrid final, with the Belarusian emerging victorious. Rybakina advanced to the Italian Open semifinals, defeating the 22-year-old Pole in Rome.
Iga Swiatek maintained her dominance at Roland Garros but faced a defeat against Elina Svitolina in the Wimbledon quarterfinals. She later achieved victory at home in Poland, a four-time Grand Slam champion. However, a semifinal defeat to Jessica Pegula at the Canadian Open followed.
Coco Gauff surprised the top seed in Cincinnati, and Jelena Ostapenko outplayed Swiatek in the fourth round of the US Open. Despite a quarterfinal loss to Veronika Kudermetova, Iga Swiatek demonstrated her resilience, defeating Liudmila Samsonova to claim victory in Beijing.
