That’s a wrap for the 2022 Miami Open. In Saturday’s final, Iga Swiatek defeated Naomi Osaka, 6-4 6-0 to complete the Sunshine Double! Read on for my final notes from the tournament. It’s Charleston next week which is always one of my favourite stops on the calendar. The 2022 edition should be a good one with a revamped stadium and fans returning. Hoping to be back for a round-up next weekend.
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I was super excited about this final. My expectation was pretty high and i’d already tagged this as a match of the year contender before it had even started 😂. I thought the ten minute opening game was going to set the tone for the match. It was a decent first set but that second set was rapid.
Swiatek played another sensational match and just got better and better as the match wore on. The first set was just one break of serve. It felt comfortable though for Swiatek who didn’t face any break points. It’s surprising considering that Swiatek was serving at just 39% first serves in in the first set. I was really intrigued by Osaka’s ultra aggressive court positioning on second serve returns at the start. I’ve never been a fan of this tactic as the returner has so little time to react. Osaka seemed to recognise quite quickly and back up. While Swiatek served smartly throughout, Osaka never found her range on return, or figured out how to put any pressure on the Swiatek serve.
The first set was competitive because of Osaka’s first serve. The game where Osaka was broken was all because the first serve evaded her. When Osaka’s first serve disappeared in the second set, it was completely one way traffic and Osaka had no answers whatsoever. It felt like Osaka was hitting harder in the second set and Swiatek just absorbed and redirected that power with interest. Osaka’s challenge faded quickly in that second set. Swiatek was simply inspired.
Swiatek’s record in finals is remarkable! Since losing her first tour level final to Polona Hercog in Lugano in 2019, Swiatek has won six on the trot and they’ve all been absolute routs against top quality opposition. When she’s on a roll, Swiatek has been pretty much untouchable.
Finals is a great result for Osaka. I’m so pleased to see her content on court. It’s been a constant fascination to see whether Osaka can adapt her game for clay and grass. Her comments in press were really encouraging and I hope she is able to give it a real good crack this year.
2022 Miami Open was all about Iga. The Sunshine Double was all about Iga! There’s not much else I will take away from these two tournaments to be honest. Now we move onto the clay, Iga’s favourite surface…
Recommended media 📺
Naomi’s opening “hello” made me chuckle.
Funny moment 🤣
These two 😂.
Super snap 📸
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