September 29, (THEWILL) – Iga Swiatek was on the receiving end of a major upset, as she crashed out of the Pan Pacific Open at the quarter-final stage. The former world number one fell to a shock 6-2 2-6 6-4 defeat against an inspired Veronika Kudermetova in Tokyo.
Swiatek made an alarming start, losing her first two service games as Kudermetova raced into a commanding 4-0 first set lead. The Pole looked in danger of being on the end of a rare bagel before finally getting on the board at 3-1 down. However, Kudermetova remained in control to clinch the set 6-2.
The fightback looked to be on when Swiatek came roaring out of the blocks in the second set, winning the first three games. She cruised through the rest of the set to take it 6-2 and force a decider.
However, Kudermetova exposed cracks in the top seed’s game in the final set. She broke Swiatek in a pulsating third game to move 2-1 ahead. The Russian backed it up with a solid hold before Swiatek showed signs of life with a comfortable service game. However, Kudermetova remained resolute, wrapping up the huge victory on her first match point.
Speaking after the match, Kudermetova said she just believed she could beat the recently dethroned world number one. Her stunning win books a semi-final against compatriot Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova on Saturday.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
