Top-Ranked Iga Swiatek Beats Vekic to Win San Diego Title

Iga Swiatek of Poland celebrates with the trophy after defeating Donna Vekic of Czech Republic in the women's singles final during the San Diego Open, part of the Hologic WTA Tour, at on October 16, 2022 in San Diego, California. (Getty Images/AFP)
Iga Swiatek of Poland celebrates with the trophy after defeating Donna Vekic of Czech Republic in the women's singles final during the San Diego Open, part of the Hologic WTA Tour, at on October 16, 2022 in San Diego, California. (Getty Images/AFP)
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Top-Ranked Iga Swiatek Beats Vekic to Win San Diego Title

Iga Swiatek of Poland celebrates with the trophy after defeating Donna Vekic of Czech Republic in the women's singles final during the San Diego Open, part of the Hologic WTA Tour, at on October 16, 2022 in San Diego, California. (Getty Images/AFP)
Iga Swiatek of Poland celebrates with the trophy after defeating Donna Vekic of Czech Republic in the women's singles final during the San Diego Open, part of the Hologic WTA Tour, at on October 16, 2022 in San Diego, California. (Getty Images/AFP)

Top-ranked Iga Swiatek overcame a challenge from qualifier Donna Vekic on Sunday to win the San Diego Open title with a 6-3, 3-6, 6-0 victory.

Swiatek earned her tour-leading 64th victory of the season heading into the WTA Finals that begin Friday in Fort Worth, Texas. The event features the tour’s top eight singles and doubles teams.

The 21-year-old won the French Open and US Open earlier this year.

“I’ve worked hard with my coach and my psychologist to keep focused on those moments that make it easier to close the match,” Swiatek said. “I just wanted to be proactive in making my shots.”

Speaking in her native Polish, Swiatek thanked the vocal Polish contingent that exhorted her with chants of “Iga! Iga!”

“I wanted to be the one who hit the last ball in, use my patience more and not think too much,” said Swiatek, who ascended to world No. 1 some seven months ago following the surprise retirement of Australia’s Ash Barty.

Swiatek was awarded a winner’s check of $116,340 along with a yellow surfboard.

After Vekic won the second set, Swiatek left no doubt about her dominance in the final set with her array of topspin cross-court forehands and looping shots that flustered her tiring opponent.

“I managed to win the second set, but in the third I just hit the Iga wall,” said Vekic, who came into the first-year WTA event as an unseeded qualifier, winning seven matches in eight days.

“She played out of this world,” the Croatian added. “She showed why she’s definitely the best player in the world right now.”

An unlikely finalist, Vekic, ranked 77th, reached the finals only a few hours before her match with Swiatek, claiming a 6-4, 4-6, 7-6 (2) semifinal win over unseeded Danielle Collins of the US.

Spread over two days due to Saturday night’s two lengthy rain delays, the Vekic-Collins match totaled three hours, including Sunday’s 32-minute finish. Collins re-started with a 4-2 edge in the third set, but Vekic battled back to earn the finals berth.



Ancelotti: Mission Accomplished as Real Madrid Reach Cup Final

Real Madrid's Italian coach Carlo Ancelotti gestures on the touchline during the Spanish Copa del Rey (King's Cup) semi-final second leg football match between Real Madrid CF and Real Sociedad at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium in Madrid on April 1, 2025. (Photo by JAVIER SORIANO / AFP)
Real Madrid's Italian coach Carlo Ancelotti gestures on the touchline during the Spanish Copa del Rey (King's Cup) semi-final second leg football match between Real Madrid CF and Real Sociedad at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium in Madrid on April 1, 2025. (Photo by JAVIER SORIANO / AFP)
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Ancelotti: Mission Accomplished as Real Madrid Reach Cup Final

Real Madrid's Italian coach Carlo Ancelotti gestures on the touchline during the Spanish Copa del Rey (King's Cup) semi-final second leg football match between Real Madrid CF and Real Sociedad at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium in Madrid on April 1, 2025. (Photo by JAVIER SORIANO / AFP)
Real Madrid's Italian coach Carlo Ancelotti gestures on the touchline during the Spanish Copa del Rey (King's Cup) semi-final second leg football match between Real Madrid CF and Real Sociedad at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium in Madrid on April 1, 2025. (Photo by JAVIER SORIANO / AFP)

It was mission accomplished, said Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti after his side fought back from two-goals behind to snatch a rip-roaring 4-4 draw on Tuesday for a 5-4 aggregate win that put them through to the Copa del Rey final.
Ancelotti brushed off questions about a sub-par performance by his side and praised his players' effort in what he considered a highly entertaining encounter.
"We have achieved our goal today which was to reach the final and there is not much time to think about it," Ancelotti told a press conference.
"It was an entertaining game with some mistakes and a lot of good things. It was fun and we are in the final.
"I never saw ourselves out of it because anything can happen at the Bernabeu. When we have to come from behind, we never give up. We never give up, especially at home, with the fans by our side."
According to Reuters, Ancelotti said David Alaba was not to blame after he deflected two balls into his own goal, calling it "bad luck" by the Austrian defender, but urged his defense to play with better focus moving forward.
"It's not good to concede four goals in a game," Ancelotti said.
"Right now we are a team that has a lot of effectiveness up-front, but little balance.
"However, we can't ignore what we did in attack, scoring four goals against Real is not that easy. I think we are doing quite well."
Real Madrid, who have won the Spanish Cup only once in over a decade, will play either Barcelona or Atletico Madrid in a mouth-watering final in Seville next month.
Atletico fought back to hold Barca to a thrilling 4-4 draw ahead of Wednesday's second-leg in Madrid.